Iron Dome (Photo Ministry of Defense Spokesperson and Public Relations Department)
Israel entered a cease-fire with the Islamic Jihad terrorist group in Gaza. The cease-fire, which was reached with the aid of Egyptian mediation, came after five days of fighting that began when the IDF opened “Operation Shield and Arrow” last Tuesday morning, a campaign to take out Islamic Jihad leaders and destroy its infrastructure in Gaza. The attacks came a week after Islamic Jihad launched more than 100 rockets from bases in Gaza directed at civilian targets in Israel.
The IDF said it called the operation “Shield and Arrow” because it is an operation of “defense and attack.”
During the operation, the IDF said it succeeded in eliminating five different Islamic Jihad leaders and destroying dozens of targets.
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On Sunday morning the IDF rescinded security measures, including limitations on movement and school and commercial closures, in areas between 4 and 25 miles from the Gaza border.
The IDF reported that Islamic Jihad fired more than 1,469 rockets at Israel. Of these, 291 failed – they landed back down in Gaza, exploded, etc. Many were also shot down by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
69 Israelis were injured in the attacks and one 70-year-old woman was killed last Thursday when a rocket hit a residential building in Rehovot. The only other fatality was actually a Palestinian worker from Gaza who was killed when a rocket hit an open field where he was working.
Israel’s National Security Council (NSC) Director Tzachi Hanegbi, on what the Israeli government said were instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and expressed the appreciation of the State of Israel for what it described as Egypt’s “intensive efforts to secure a ceasefire.”
The NSC Director made it clear that Israel’s acceptance of the Egyptian initiative means that “quiet will be met with quiet,” and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will “continue to do everything that it needs to in order to defend itself.”
The White House also acknowledged Egypt’s efforts in a statement saying the United States welcomed Saturday night’s announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and “Gaza-based militants “brokered by the Egyptian Government after nearly five days of fighting.
“U.S. officials worked closely with regional partners to achieve this resolution to the hostilities to prevent further loss of life and restore calm for both Israelis and Palestinians,” it read. “We are grateful for the critical diplomatic efforts of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi and senior Egyptian officials, as well as Amir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar.”
