Militants from Israel and Palestine were exchanging fire on Saturday. The situation was one of the worst bouts of cross-border violence since the 11-day war last year. Read to know what is driving the Gaza-Israel conflict.
Gaza-Israel conflict: The basics
In the biggest cross-border fighting since last year’s war between Israel and Hamas, soldiers from both sides exchanged fire in the Gaza strip. With the increasing Gaza-Israel conflict, rocket attacks on Israeli villages and cities are disrupting the daily lives of hundreds and thousands of people. Islamic Jihad, the smaller of the two main Palestinian militant organizations is outnumbered by the Hamas organization. However, their direct Iranian military and financial support is a reason behind the rocket assaults and various conflicts. It is also in charge of managing everyday operations since it took over the administration in 2007.
Additionally, Islamic Jihad is emerging as the violent fraction among the two and occasionally challenges Hamas’ control. Iran is supplying Islamic Jihad with money, expertise, and training. However, most of their weapons are produced locally. Despite being based in Gaza, the group has leadership in Damascus and Beirut. It is instrumental for maintaining ties with the Iranian officials. Ziad al-Nakhalah, the top leader was also seen in Tehran, meeting with Iranian officials when the operation began in Gaza.
Militants targetting commanders
This is not the first time where Israel has killed Islamic Jihad leaders. On Friday, it killed Taiseer al-Jabari, who replaced Bahaa Abu el-Atta. Abu el-Atta was slain in a 2019 strike by Israel. Al-Jabari, aged 50 was a member of the group’s military council, the decision-making body in Gaza. He was instrumental in taking care of the group’s activities in Gaza City and northern Gaza. His death this week was following the arrest of a senior Islamic Jihad commander in the West Bank.
In addition to fighting wars, Islamic Jihad militants were also challenged by firing rockets to raise its profile among Palestinians. “Once you will hit the commanders it will affect immediately all the organization. It immediately creates a big mess in the Jihad,” stated Zvika Haimovich. Haimovich was the former head of the Israeli military’s air force. The current Gaza-Israel conflict comes as Israel is embroiled in a political crisis. In less than four years, voters are heading to the polls for the fifth time.