Home Front Command relaxes restrictions after ceasefire

The Home Front Command relaxed restrictions on southern Israel on Saturday night two hours after a ceasefire between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Israel reportedly took effect.

According to the new guidelines, gatherings in open areas of more than 10 people and in buildings of more than 100 people will be banned in communities near the Gaza border from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Additionally, in that time period, only workplaces with a shelter nearby will be able to open and classes will only take place within shelters.

The IDF struck hidden Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket and mortar launchers in Gaza on Saturday as well as a military post belonging to the terror organization, according to the IDF Spokesperson's Unit.

As of 4 p.m., the IDF struck 13 Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza on Saturday.

Take a look at Israel's Iron Dome in action during Operation Shield and Arrow in this video clip published by the IDF on Saturday morning.

The air defense system has been hard at work in recent days, as rocket barrage after rocket barrage is fired into Israel by Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.

As of Saturday morning, the Iron Dome has successfully intercepted 340 rockets that were heading for populated areas. 

Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad has 6,000 rockets in its arsenal and Islamist Hamas has four times that, Israel's National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi said on Saturday.

Hanegbi added that Israel was more focused on firing on Gaza militants presently than on reaching a ceasefire that will end the latest round of cross border fighting which began on Tuesday.

The IDF attacked several Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip throughout Friday night, they confirmed in a Saturday morning statement, adding that among these targets were rocket and mortar launching sites.

One of the locations targeted by Israeli fighter jets overnight was used by senior Islamic Jihad operative Muhammed Abu al-Ata as his operational headquarters.

However, the IDF said, Abu al-Ata had fled his headquarters and taken up residence inside a Gaza hospital, using the civilian population to keep himself safe.

Abu al-Ata is the brother of once top Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist Bahaa Abu al-Ata, who Israel assassinated back in November 2019.

The IDF has attacked 325 Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip since the start of Operation Shield and Arrow, they announced on Saturday morning.

At the same time, there have been 1,099 rockets launched by the terrorist group inside Gaza, with 202 of the launches failing and 865 rockets crossing over into Israeli territory, meaning that roughly one-quarter of all rockets launched have fallen within Gaza's borders.

340 of the rockets heading towards Israeli areas have been intercepted by Israel's air defense systems.

Rocket sirens sounded in the Gaza border communities of Nachal Oz, Neetiv HaAssara, Zikim and Karmia on Saturday morning in the most recent sirens in Operation Shield and Arrow.

Sirens also sounded in the city of Ashkelon.

This is a developing story.

Egypt offered Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad a ceasefire deal on Friday, according to Israeli media.

Israeli sources reportedly told Walla that the Egyptian offer is more in line with Israel's standing than previous deals and that it is being considered.

Later that day, the Qatari television channel "Al-Arabi" reported that Egypt's proposal referred to a temporary and humanitarian ceasefire starting at midnight, in which the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings would be opened to traffic - while at the same time, medical equipment would be brought into the Gaza Strip, Hebrew media reported.

An Islamic Jihad spokesman referred to the channel's report and clarified that a ceasefire has not yet been reached.

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy R. Sherman spoke with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Friday regarding Operation Shield and Arrow.

Sherman reiterated the US commitment to Israel's security and condemned the launch of rockets into Israel from Gaza-based terrorist groups.

The Deputy Secretary noted her belief to Dermer that Israelis and Palestinians equally deserve to live safely and securely, as well as stressing the urgency of achieving a ceasefire agreement.

(JTA) — Fighting between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza continued on Friday, even as reports late in the day indicated renewed momentum toward a ceasefire.

The fighting, which began on Tuesday and has seen nearly 1,000 rockets fired at Israel, has led to the cancelation of this week’s mass protests against the Israeli government in Tel Aviv. The protests have taken place every Saturday night for much of the year and regularly draw tens of thousands of people.

More than 30 Palestinians in Gaza, including civilians and militants, have been killed in Israeli airstrikes on leaders of Islamic Jihad, which is designated by the United States and European Union as a terror group. One Israeli civilian has been killed by a rocket from Gaza.

Early Friday morning saw a lull in the violence, which resumed after Islamic Jihad rockets targeted areas south of Jerusalem. By Friday night, Egypt was attempting to mediate a humanitarian ceasefire, according to the Israeli news website Ynet. Since Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is mourning his recently deceased mother, he, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials have discussed the conflict as Gallant sits shiva.

Religious Zionist MKs' predictions

The fighting has also elicited predictions from Israeli officials of a potential future broader military offensive. This week, far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Israeli Channel 14, a TV station, that Israel may have to recapture Gaza, from which it withdrew its military and settlements in 2005. Orit Strock, who is likewise a government minister and a member of Smotrich’s far-right faction, also predicted that Israel would retake the coastal strip.

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system fire to intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel May 11, 2023. (credit: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun)

“I estimate that the moment will come when there will be no choice — the IDF will need to reconquer Gaza, to break apart the hostile terrorist entity that is there, and to demilitarize it,” Smotrich said, adding, “At this moment, this is not relevant, we’re not discussing it now. We were just talking about what the solution will be in the end.”

“I estimate that the moment will come when there will be no choice — the IDF will need to reconquer Gaza, to break apart the hostile terrorist entity that is there, and to demilitarize it.”

Bezalel Smotrich

A concert by the Backstreet Boys, the US pop group, was also canceled. It’s the second time that the boy band — known for its hits such as “I Want It That Way” — has had a concert in Israel foiled due to rocket fire from Gaza. They were also forced to nix an appearance during the 2014 Gaza War. The cancellation of the concert came one day after a performance by Israeli singer Aviv Geffen drew 40,000 to a park in Tel Aviv.