The latest round of Gaza tensions, and the Israeli response to them, showed a remarkable Israeli operational improvement and PR evolution. A swift, quick campaign achieved all its operational objectives, while a strong and proactive media presence showed Israel’s side of the story, quickly countering misinformation coming out of Gaza. Nevertheless, the events also showed there are no easy solutions for the narrow strip, and the seasonal fighting is likely to break out again in the future.

Following the arrest of a senior West Bank-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader by Israel, the terrorist organization issued various threats, some of which Israeli intelligence determined to be imminent, of cross-border attacks from Gaza against Israel. The threats prompted the Israeli Defense Forces to initiate a military campaign aiming at neutralizing the threats from PIJ through targeted military strikes. The hostilities lasted for days, and while the IDF was able to score a remarkable operational success, the PIJ scored only a remarkable failure. The 1000 rockets that the terrorist movement fired against Israel were either intercepted by the Iron Dome or failed to leave the strip, killing almost a third of all the casualties in Gaza, a sad metaphor of the Palestinian condition.

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