Akankshya Mahapatra 
As Israel’s “Operation Breaking Daybreak” entered its third day on Sunday, with dozens of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets hit to this point within the Gaza Strip by the Israeli Military, to which Jihad responded by firing a barrage of rockets, casualties stay comparatively low and the massive query is whether or not Hamas, which is a corporation a lot greater and stronger than Jihad, will be part of the fray and the scenario will escalate right into a conflict.
Following a number of days of stress on Israel’s border with Gaza, Israel’s Protection Forces, performing on Shin Wager (safety providers) details about imminent assaults by the Iran-backed Islamic Jihad, launched a pre-emptive strike on Friday wherein Taysir al-Jabari, Jihad’s high chief in northern Gaza was killed. An Israeli missile hit the Palestine Tower residence constructing, burying al-Jabari beneath the rubble.
Jihad reacted by firing greater than 450 rockets at close by Israeli cities, the overwhelming majority of which had been intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome Protection System. to this point, Islamic Jihad’s rockets haven’t precipitated main casualties or injury.
Late on Saturday, Islamic Jihad chief in Southern Gaza Khaled Mansour was killed in one other Israeli air strike, “neutralizing,” as Oded Basiok, head of Israel’s military operations directorate mentioned, “the senior management of the army wing of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza.”
On the Palestinian facet the casualties as of Sunday afternoon, in accordance with the Well being Ministry in Gaza, had been 31 Palestinians, together with six kids and 4 girls, whereas one other 260 folks had been injured. The UN has additionally reported that a minimum of 31 households have been left homeless.
On the Israeli facet, there have been no deaths from the rockets fired by the Islamic Jihad, however a number of Israeli residents had been handled for accidents, most of them minor. Hundreds of Israelis rushed to bomb shelters or sheltered in protected rooms to keep away from the rockets. Scores of fires broke out in areas the place the rockets fell.
Israeli plane and tanks focused and destroyed 5 rocket launchers, in addition to six weapon manufacturing workshops, a number of Islamic Jihad statement posts, and tunnels dug by the militant group with a purpose to launch assaults on Israel.
Moreover, Israel has arrested 20 members of Islamic Jihad who had been energetic exterior of Gaza, in Hebron, Ramallah, and different areas of the West Financial institution.
Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas political chief, blamed Israel for the present battle and careworn that Israel bears full accountability for the preventing. It’s notable, nevertheless, that he didn’t threaten retaliation in opposition to Israel, and in phone calls with Egyptian mediators he requested for his or her intervention to finish hostilities.
The UN particular rapporteur on the Palestinian territory Francesca Albanez has mentioned Israel’s assaults on Gaza usually are not solely “unlawful however irresponsible”, calling for a diplomatic answer to the disaster.
