Egypt negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad. But already on Sunday, Islamic Jihad rockets would have landed again in southern Israel.
Tel Aviv. After five days of fighting, Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) agreed to a ceasefire on Saturday night, brokered by Egypt. But the calm lasted only briefly. Warning sirens were already sounding again in southern Israel on Sunday night, according to Israel, which had been attacked with a rocket from the Gaza Strip. The Islamic militant organization Hamas then spoke hastily of a “technical error”, but Israel attacked an extremist military post in Gaza. There is no information about casualties on either side.
Tzachi Hanegbi, director of Israel’s National Security Council, announced Saturday night that Israel would respond “calm with calm.” PIJ leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah said in a video message: “Our people stood their ground and were not crushed.”
The most recent escalation between Israel and the PIJ, which Western countries classify as a terrorist organization, began in early May with the death of a high-ranking PIJ commander, who died in Israeli custody after a long hunger strike. The PIJ then fired over a hundred rockets at Israel.