Baha Abu Al-Ata and the Islamic Jihad
On November 12, 2019 at 4:00am (Israel Time) the Israeli Air Force conducted a surgical airstrike against Baha Abu Al-Ata. The Israeli Security Cabinet authorized over a week ago, in accordance to the recommendation of the Israeli military, secret service, and intelligence community, to eliminate Al-Ata and deemed him a “ticking bomb” and an “imminent threat” to Israel. Based on Israeli intelligence, Al-Ata was in the midst of preparing to commit immediate terror attacks towards Israeli civilians and IDF troops in the coming days. Al-Ata was a senior commander of the Islamic Jihad, a terrorist organization funded by Iran, in Gaza. He was responsible for hundreds of terrorist attacks targeting Israeli civilians.
Rockets from Gaza and the IDF Response
Since the elimination of Al-Ata, over 190 rockets have been launched form Gaza strip towards Israel. That is an average of one rocket every 5 minutes for 15 hours straight. These rockets are deliberately aimed at innocent Israeli populations, hospitals, and children. In one incident, two bypassing cars on an Israeli highway were a number of feet away from being blown up by a direct hit of such a rocket (https://twitter.com/i/status/1194177306136338432).
The Israeli Defense Force has responded to this aggression and targeted two terrorist who were preparing to launch more rockets. The Israeli military continue(s) to strike Islamic Jihad targets, such as an underground terror tunnel they planned to use in order to attack Israeli civilians.
There are a number of reports of the Islamic Jihad rejecting an offer for ceasefire, and saying instead that it will increase the number of rockets being launched. According to those reports, Hamas has also notified Egyptian authorities that it will join the attacks against Israel too.
The Iron Dome and what this means for Israelis
Thanks to the Iron Dome and its remarkable success rate of over 90%, Israel has managed to save the lives of many Israeli babies, children, elders, and sick. Once the Iron Dome detects a launch of a rocket, it calculates in a matter of milliseconds if it should intercept a rocket, and at what point in its path should it do so. People usually have between 15-60 seconds from when they hear a siren to find shelter.
Unfortunately, the Iron Dome only protects against physical damage to lives, but there is still damage to infrastructure and mental health. The constant sirens alarms, lack of sleep during the night (as a result of having to run to the bomb shelter every few minutes) and experience the deadly rockets fly over people’s heads, all have an effect on the mental health of the civilians. The trauma they experience will forever be carried with the children and people who are targeted by the Islamic Jihad rockets.
In addition, schools are closed and businesses are shut. These are protective measures that have financial implications for the rural areas of Israel.
Timeline (Israel Times) - November 12, 2019
4:00am IDF conducts surgical strike of Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza, Baha Abu Al-Ata
5:51am Islamic Jihad in Gaza begins intense rocket fire at Israel
7:59am Rocket fire at Tel Aviv
11:01am IDF targets 2 Islamic Jihad operatives preparing to launch rockets at Israel
12:11pm IDF fighter jets strike Islamic Jihad terror targets in Gaza
12:17pm Report of the Islamic Jihad refusing to a ceasefire and says it will increase the amount of rockets
12:22pm More rockets fired at Israel
2:50pm Dozens more rockets fired from Gaza at Israel. IDF strikes Islamic Jihad terror targets in Gaza including:
- training compounds
- underground weapon manufacturing sites
- weapon storage facilities
4:00pm IDF strikes additional Islamic Jihad targets.
8:03pm Reports on Hamas notifying Egypt that it will also join the attacks on Israel
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