The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) responded to the killing of several of its commanders with massive rocket attacks on Israel on Wednesday. The militant group fired about 270 rockets from the Gaza Strip by the afternoon, according to Israeli sources. In places as far as Tel Aviv, about 70 kilometers from the coastal strip, rocket alarms were repeatedly triggered.
Christian Meier
Political correspondent for the Middle East and Northeast Africa.
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Initially, there were no reports of dead or seriously wounded. The Israeli army has also carried out dozens of attacks since Tuesday evening, according to its statements, in an attempt to thwart further attacks from the Gaza Strip. According to Palestinian sources, seven people were killed.
The escalation was preceded by an exchange of blows that lasted several days. About a week ago, the PIJ fired numerous rockets at Israel following the death of a prominent prisoner on hunger strike. The army responded with comparatively moderate counterattacks. On Tuesday night, three PIJ leaders were killed in the Gaza Strip. Ten more people fell victim to the simultaneous air strikes. The PIJ announced retaliation, but did nothing at first. A senior Israeli military official told reporters on Wednesday that the PIJ was "shocked by the accuracy of this attack" and by further attacks on PIJ facilities. But it was expected that there would be a reaction.
In the afternoon, a ceasefire was reportedly negotiated. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was "prepared for the possibility of an expanded operation and hard strikes against Gaza." This is likely to depend in no small part on the behavior of Hamas, the best-armed group in Gaza. The military official stressed that the Israeli strikes were aimed only at the PIJ. "We don't want Hamas to get involved." The Islamist organization controls the Gaza Strip and has allegedly approved the rocket launches. Beyond militant rhetoric, however, it probably did not intervene in the fighting until the afternoon.