The Palestinian Islamic Jihad

Reactions to the targeted killing of the commander of Hezbollah’s Aziz Unit

On July 3, 2024, Hezbollah announced the death of Muhammad Naama Nasser, aka Hajj Abu Naama, killed in an Israeli airstrike which targeted his vehicle in south Lebanon. another Hezbollah operative was killed in the attack. The IDF spokesperson confirmed that the Israeli Air Force had attacked Nasser, who since 2016 had commanded Hezbollah's Aziz Unit, which is responsible for the western sector in south Lebanon; The organization's announcement called Nasser the "shaheed commander," only the third time since the beginning of the current conflict that Hezbollah awarded the title to one of its operatives; Hezbollah's responded to the killing with six attacks on military targets in northern Israel over two days. Two of the attacks, the most extensive since the start of the hostilities in October 2023, were simultaneous, with upwards of 200 rockets and more than 20 UAVs launched at IDF headquarters and bases in the Golan Heights, the Upper Galilee and the Western Galilee. An IDF soldier was killed, three civilians were injured and fires broke out in various areas; Senior Hezbollah figures said killing Abu Naama would not weaken the organization and or stop the "resistance".
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (June 25 – July 2 , 2024)

This past week IDF activity focused on the Shejaiya neighborhood in Gaza City, Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and the Netzarim Corridor region in the central Gaza Strip. Six IDF soldiers were killed in five different incidents. Rocket fire continued targeting the cities, towns and villages surrounding the Gaza Strip; No progress has been made towards an agreement on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages; The Israeli Coordinator of Government Operations in the Territories reported that between March and June 2024, about nine million liters of fuel were brought in to operate essential facilities in the Gaza Strip. An expert report prepared by the UN stated there was no evidence of hunger in the Gaza Strip. An IDF inspection indicated that the extent of buildings destroyed in the Strip was significantly smaller than the data published by the UN and the international media; Senior Hamas member Khaled Mashal admitted that the Gaza Strip had been destroyed, but called for the "resistance" to continue. He also said the era of the Oslo Accords was over. The Palestinian Authority condemned the statement; The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria. Two IDF soldiers were killed in IED explosions in Jenin and Tulkarm; Palestinian officials condemned Israel's Political-Security Cabinet's decision to regulate the status of five outposts in Judea and Samaria.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (June 17 – 25, 2024)

This past week IDF activity focused on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and on the Netzarim Corridor in the central Gaza Strip. Three IDF soldiers were killed in two incidents. Terrorist operatives continued firing rockets at the cities, towns and villages surrounding Gaza. For the first time since November 2023, a UAV was shot down at the Gaza border; No progress was made to secure an agreement for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages. Senior Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad members continued to defend their joint negotiating positions and blame Israel for the stalemate; The pier constructed by the United States military established off the coast of the Gaza Strip resumed operations; According to reports, the Hamas leadership may move from Qatar to Iraq. Isma'il Haniyeh met with the acting Iranian foreign minister. A senior Hamas official visited Russia; An Israeli civilian was shot dead in Qalqilya, the incident is being treated as a suspected terrorist attack. IEDs exploded near Bat Hefer, no casualties were reported. The Israeli security forces continued counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; At a PLO Executive Committee meeting, Mahmoud Abbas accused Israel of a policy of "displacing Palestinians." Armenia recognized a Palestinian state.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (June 10 – 18, 2024)

This past week, IDF activities focused on Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and on the Gaza City neighborhoods of al-Zeitoun and al-Sabra, having ended in Deir al-Balah and the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. Sixteen IDF soldiers were killed in four different incidents. There was an increase in rocket fire at the communities surrounding Gaza compared to the previous week; Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad submitted their comments to Qatar and Egypt regarding President Biden's proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages; The Israeli Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories reported that more than 24,000 tons of medical supplies and equipment had been brought into the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war. The U.S. Central Command temporarily dismantled the marine pier off the Gaza Strip coast due to high waves; This past week no terrorist attacks were reported. The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria; Mahmoud Abbas participated in an emergency conference for humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip held in Jordan, and expressed the Authority's willingness to assume responsibility for the management of the Gaza Strip, including the land crossings. The quarterly public opinion poll head by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research found an increase in support in Judea and Samaria for the Hamas terrorist attack and massacre on October 7, 2023.
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Spotlight on the Israel-Palestinian Conflict (June 4-10 , 2024)

This past week, IDF operations focused on the refugee camps in the central Gaza Strip and the Rafah area in the south. A terrorist infiltration near Kerem Shalom was prevented, during which an IDF soldier was killed; The Israeli security forces rescued four Israeli hostages in an operation in the al-Nuseirat refugee camp. A fighter of the counterterrorism unit was killed. The Palestinians claimed that more than 270 civilians were killed during the operation and accused Israel of a "massacre." Despite this, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) said they were still interested in reaching an agreement that would lead to a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of IDF forces from the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners; The delivery of humanitarian aid was renewed through the floating sea pier constructed by the United States military off the coast of Gaza; No terrorist attacks were carried out this past week in Israel, Judea and Samaria. A car bomb exploded about a kilometer from a military checkpoint in the Jordan Valley; there were no casualties; The Israeli security forces continued their counterterrorism activities in Judea and Samaria. The security forces of the Palestinian Authority (PA) detained wanted operatives of the PIJ's Tubas Battalion.
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Anti-Israel Terrorism from the Palestinian Authority, 2023

In 2023 there was a significant increase in the extent of terrorism and violence, with 179 critical terrorist attacks carried out, compared with 86 in 2022; Twenty-seven were carried out on Israeli territory (16 in 2022); 43 people were killed, 37 civilians and six members of the security forces, compared with 30 killed during 2022; Shootings were prominent, with 108 attacks which accounted for about 60% of the total number (46 in 2022); There were also 35 stabbings, about 19% of the total; 20 vehicle ramming attacks, about 11% of the total; 5 IED attacks and 5 combined attacks. There were also several thousand incidents in which rocks were thrown and several hundred in which Molotov cocktails were thrown, but not all were documented. Due to the Gaza Strip War (Operation Iron Swords) which broke out on October 7, 2023, the summary of 2023 was released considerably late and in an abbreviated format, and does not include terrorism from the Gaza Strip.
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