New Israeli attacks in Gaza leave another three dead

Israel continued to attack Palestinian Islamic Jihad (YIP) targets in the Gaza Strip early Thursday morning (05.11.2023), leaving three dead – including a militia commander – and 15 wounded, official sources reported.

“Israeli Army fighter jets targeted Ali Ghali, commander of the YIP terrorist organization’s rocket firing troops in the Gaza Strip,” a military statement said.

This man was hiding in an apartment in Jan Yunis, a city in southern Gaza, along with “two other agents of the terrorist organization, who were also attacked,” added the Israeli Army.

On his side, Palestinian security sources said Ali Ghali was killed after two Israeli drones attacked his apartment.

This individual’s brother, Mahmoud Ghali, and his nephew, Mahmoud Mansour, were in the same apartment and also died, the security sources added, denying that they both also belonged to the YIP, an organization considered a terrorist group by Israel, United States and the European Union and supported economically and militarily by Iran.

Doctors confirm three deaths

Doctors from the Nasser Hospital, in Khan Younis, confirmed that three Palestinians were brought to the hospital already dead and that another 15 people were injured in the same attack.

Ali Ghali was in charge of the routine business of the YIP and had a central role in the organization. He was also in charge of training and launching rockets into Israel, including the recent barrage of more than 400 projectiles, the Israeli army said.

The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the JIP, said in a statement that they are mourning Ghali, “killed in a treacherous Zionist assassination operation.”

A total of 469 rockets, some of which hit the Israeli cities of Beersheva and Tel Aviv, were fired from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

The current escalation has left 25 Palestinians dead, of whom ten were militants and 15 civilians, including six children. The number of wounded in Gaza now stands at 79.

Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations continue to try to negotiate a truce, something that has so far not borne fruit.

400 rockets fired at Israel

Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu sees little hope of an imminent ceasefire. Around 400 rockets are said to have been fired at Israel from Gaza in response to the airstrikes.

Even in the evening they could still be heard in large parts of Israel – the explosions when intercepting rockets from the Gaza Strip. In the towns near the Gaza Strip there was a late-night rocket alarm.

But people in the greater Tel Aviv area also had to visit the shelters several times. Yoav Galant, Israel’s Defense Minister, reported in the evening with an interim balance: “Around 400 rockets have been fired at the State of Israel. About a quarter of them landed in the Gaza Strip area, a large part in open fields. Some were intercepted “We regret that there were also some hits on houses. I say this because the achievements of Israeli technology, the Israeli security apparatus, are extremely impressive and keep showing. That’s good,” said Galant.

80 km security zone

Nonetheless, the security zone, in which people must stay near shelters, has been extended to 80 kilometers around the Gaza Strip. Schools and kindergartens remain closed in many places.

Israeli forces have been attacking targets in the Gaza Strip throughout the day. Surveillance drones could be heard in the air everywhere. The day before, Israel had specifically killed three leaders of the terrorist organization Islamic Jihad. Ten civilians were also killed. In total, the Ministry of Health in Gaza reported 21 deaths in the evening, including six children. 64 people were injured.

Little hope of a ceasefire

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke to the press. He dashed hopes of a ceasefire anytime soon, saying the operation was not over yet: “The development of new intelligence capabilities and, in parallel, the development of new military capabilities, which are then brought together, has ensured that a new equation has been set up We say to the terrorists: we see you everywhere, you can’t hide and it’s us who choose the time and place to hit you, it’s us not you.”

The attacks on targets in the Gaza Strip should be understood as a clear signal to Israel’s enemies. After weeks of fierce domestic political disputes over judicial reform, there were doubts about Israel’s ability to defend itself.

Tsachi Hangebi, head of the Israel Security Council, said on Channel 13 TV: “Against a terrorist organization, the chance of achieving long-term deterrence is slim because the goal of a terrorist organization is to use terror and violence. But we don’t have that step Done only for Islamic Jihad alone, but also for Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Assad. Everyone will understand that their assessment that Israel is weak because of its internal crisis fell apart in a matter of seconds.”

According to the Israeli armed forces, the attacks are aimed exclusively at Islamic Jihad. The organization is also said to be responsible for the missiles aimed at Israel. The role of Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, is still unclear.

Hamas emphasizes unity of Palestinian organizations

So far, Hamas, which the EU classifies as a terrorist organization, has apparently not fired any rockets at Israel itself. At the same time, their spokesman Hasem Qasim emphasized the unity of various Palestinian organizations in the fight against Israel to the Shebab news agency: “We assure our people that we have carried out this response together and in a coordinated manner because there are agreements between the various groups. And we emphasize again that that coordination and unity is one of the sources of resistance strength.”

Meanwhile, Egypt is trying to mediate a ceasefire. But that is not yet in sight.