OPERATION SHIELD AND ARROW
An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor missile as rockets are fired from Gaza, in Sderot, Israel, May 10, 2023
Since many foreign news
outlets are reporting live-time on the exchange of fire between Israel and the
Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group (PIJ), I can assume you are well
informed.
Reporting for the BBC David
Gritten in London and
Rushdi Abu Alouf from Gaza
City said, “The Israeli military has killed two Palestinian
Islamic Jihad commanders in air strikes in Gaza during a third day of fighting
with militants there.
A pre-dawn attack on an apartment in Khan
Younis killed the head of PIJ's rocket launching force and two others, who the
military said were militants.
In the afternoon, his deputy was killed in a
strike in a nearby town.”
A margin note: The
BBC is careful to equate the IDF with PIJ by alluding to them as military and
militants respectively.
Back to the main text:
Avishai Kaplan, representing the
IDF's International Law Department, told the UN Human Rights Council.
" After months of
attacks against Israeli citizens, Israel began Operation 'Shield and Arrow',
against Islamic Jihad military targets. The IDF offensive is
conducted in accordance with the Law of Armed Conflict. Israel directs these attacks only
against military targets and takes all possible precautions to mitigate harm to
civilians."
Yesterday, an Israeli was
killed when a rocket fired from Gaza hit a building in Rehovot.
It was the first fatality in Israel since it
began the offensive against
PIJ on Tuesday morning with a series of air strikes that killed another three
of the group's commanders.
Twenty-eight people have been killed and 93
injured in Gaza over the same period, health officials there say. At least 10
civilians are also among the dead, which the United Nations has called
unacceptable.
Margin note: Operation
“Shield and Arrow” is an ongoing response to PIJ rocket fire. All figures
quoted need to be constantly updated
An IDF spokesperson
said four people, including three children, were killed in Gaza by rockets
falling short on Wednesday, though this has not been corroborated by
Palestinian sources. PIJ denied the allegation and accused Israel of trying to
evade responsibility for their deaths.
Faulty rocket launches causing
death and injuries to Palestinians inside the Gaza enclave have occurred a
number of times in the past.
The IDF says that as of 8:00 p.m. Thursday,
PIJ rocket crews have launched 803 rockets and mortars at Israel. at least 620
of the projectiles crossed the border, while 152 fell short in Gaza. The IDF,
air defence systems intercepted 179 of the rockets, while several have landed
in urban areas — killing one Israeli, injuring several others and
causing extensive damage.
The Iron Dome is unquestionably the most
effective air defence system in the world, nevertheless, it can’t provide 100%
protection. Air-raid shelters provide good protection against the few missiles
that land in urban areas.
A report in The Guardian provided an interim
summary of the current exchange of fire between the IDF and the PIJ
The unexpected Israeli attack came despite a
fragile ceasefire in place since a day of cross-frontier exchanges of fire last
week triggered by the death on hunger strike of Khader Adnan, a prominent
political figure affiliated with Islamic Jihad held in Israeli custody.
On Tuesday, large public funeral processions in
Gaza got under way, while the Israeli defence ministry prepared to evacuate
around 6,500 Israelis living near the frontier in case of further fighting.
Israel reportedly relayed messages to Hamas via
Egyptian mediators that it was targeting the smaller Islamic Jihad rather than
the dominant militant group. Wary of escalation, Hamas has stayed on the
sidelines during recent escalations, while allowing Islamic Jihad to operate.
But given Tuesday’s unusual targeted operation, and the high death toll, Hamas
is now under significant pressure to respond.
Another margin note:
Our family guests- Daphna, Mark, Michal and Tanya accompanied by our daughter
Irit who lives in Jaffa, are spending a few days in Tel Aviv.
While seeing the sites,
a colour-red siren was sounded causing them to take cover in a nearby air-raid
shelter. No damage or injuries incurred, but plenty to write home about.
“We were preparing for this operation since
last Tuesday," Hagay continued. "We were waiting for the optimal
conditions as far as intelligence and minimal collateral damage. Unfortunately,
there were women and children killed. We have been careful to
avoid killing and injuring innocent bystanders,
but these terrorists work from civilian areas, thereby using family and neighbours as human shields.”
That being said, the UN
Secretary-General said on Wednesday he was following the latest
exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and militants in the Gaza Strip with
“deep concern” over the escalating conflict, and “risk of further loss of
life.”
In a statement released by his Spokesperson,
António Guterres said that he condemned the civilian loss of life, that occurred
during Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday aimed at the militant Islamic Jihad group,
three of whose leaders were killed. The statement
included a brief condemnation of PIJ rocket attacks on Israeli population
centres.
“This is the third
operation aimed at Islamic Jihad, and the big question is whether this time as
well Hamas will not join in. Hamas’s external leadership has threatened it will
enter the fray, but this remains to be seen. The circumstances resemble those
of exactly two years ago – then as well there were tensions leading up to
Jerusalem Day, and it was decided not to act pre-emptively. This time, the
violent energy that was supposed to build up until Jerusalem Day has been
released proactively, and that is a very positive development.
If Hamas remains out of the picture, we can expect an
operation similar in form and duration to previous operations. Hamas’s
inclusion could prompt fire from the northern front as well and a significant
lengthening of the operation.
Cities with mixed Arab and Jewish populations and the West
Bank constitute another arena that demands attention, and despite the low
chance that it will join the hostilities, it is more sensitive. Here too, Hamas
wields much influence, and a lot depends on its decision on whether or not to
join.”
Under the heading” Israeli Recklessness in Gaza” Haaretz dedicated an editorial article to the ongoing Gaza conflagration:
“In the first strike of the offensive on Gaza
dubbed Operation Shield and Arrow, which began overnight between Monday and
Tuesday, 13 people were killed, among them 10 civilians, three of them
children. But without the batting of an eyelid, it was claimed that this was
“collateral damage” due to the need to eliminate the three senior Islamic Jihad
figures. In reality, the opposite is true. The three commanders were supposed
to be seen as the “collateral result” of the targeted killing of civilians in
Gaza.”
My comment: “Who needs enemies when you can read
editorials like the one above.”
How many times has the UN condemned Israel?
As
of 2013, the State of Israel has been condemned in 45 resolutions by the United
Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). Since the UNHRC's creation in 2006, it
has resolved almost as many resolutions condemning Israel alone than on issues
for the rest of the world combined. If you delve further back you will find
additional condemnations of Israel by various UN bodies.
This
week a UN Security Council condemnation of Israel was blocked by US and UK representatives.
Back
in the Gaza enclave PIJ is running out of commanders. Their replacements barely
have time to fill their new posts before they too meet their Maker.
Take
care.
Beni, 12th
of May, 2023
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