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Updated: November 14, 2019 3:18pm
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:
- 450+ rockets have been launched form Gaza strip towards 110 communities in Israel (see map below). That is an average of one rocket every 6.5 minutes for 48 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.
- 1 million+ Israeli children are confined to bomb shelters and are unable to go to school.
Israel has responded to this aggression by targeting Islamic Jihad rocket launchers, missile factories, rocket storage-spaces, and terrorist, while the Islamic Jihad is aiming their rockets at innocent kids, elders, women, and hospitals.
The Islamic Jihad had not only rejected ceasefire offers at first, they even claimed to increase the number of rockets launched at Israel. After numerous failed attempts, Egypt, acting as a mediator between Israel and the Islamic Jihad, had managed to have both parties agree to a ceasefire effective 5:30am (Israel time) on November 14. After the ceasefire has been in effect, the Islamic Jihad continued to launch rockets towards Israeli cities – one of them landing in a kindergarten.
MAP OF TARGETED ISRAELI CITIES BY THE ISLAMIC JIHAD ROCKETS
From the Twitter account of the Israeli Defense Force:
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 TIME)
NOVEMBER 12, 2019
4:00am IDF conducts surgical strike against the 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
3:23pm False reports of an Israeli missile, rather than an Islamic Jihad rocket, hitting the Palestinian Commission for Human Rights in Gaza
4:00pm IDF strikes additional Islamic Jihad targets.
8:03pm Reports on Hamas notifying Egypt that it will also join the attacks on Israel
NOVEMBER 13, 2019
5:54am Day starts with more Islamic Jihad rockets
7:47am IDF strikes Islamic Jihad rocket squad
12:13pm IDF strikes Islamic Jihad terror targets including:
- Rocket warhead manufacturing facility
- Khan Unis HQ of the Islamic Jihad
- Weapons storage site
- Naval commando vessel
12:29pm Rockets fired at Israel
1:55pm 2 Islamic Jihad terrorists about to launch anti-tank missiles struck by IDF
2:20pm IDF strikes Islamic Jihad terrorists about to fire rockets
3:57pm Non-stop rockets at Israel
5:10pm IDF strikes Islamic Jihad terrorist
8:32pm IDF struck Islamic Jihad terror targets in Gaza including:
- military compound
- training compound
- production site for rocket launchers
11:18pm Barrage of rockets fired at Israel
NOVEMBER 14, 2019
12:05am IDF strikes Islamic Jihad in Gaza terror posts
2:20am Islamic Jihad launches a number of rockets at Israel
5:30am Israel and Islamic Jihad, through Egyptian mediation, agree to a ceasefire
7:00am Islamic Jihad launches more rockets towards Israeli cities on of them hitting a kindergarten
11:30am Once again, Islamic Jihad launches 5 more rockets at Israel
8:49pm Protest in Gaza to betray the ceasefire, calling to reign more rockets on Israeli cities
10:07pm Sirens sound across Israel, and the Islamic Jihad leadership declaring it is considering the demand of the Gazan people to continue launching missiles
About The Endowment for Middle East Truth
Founded in 2005, EMET’s mission is to educate policymakers in Washington and the general public about the importance of Israel to the United States in their common struggle against radical Islam. For more information, please visit www.emetonline.org. Follow EMET on Twitter and Facebook.
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