Hamas Gave Green Light for Rocket Fire But Staying Out of Fighting

Jerusalem, 10 May, 2023 (TPS) -- Hamas gave Palestinian Islamic Jihad a green light to fire a barrage of rockets at Israel on Wednesday.

Sources inside Gaza told the Tazpit Press Service that Hamas is so far staying out of the fighting and is not firing its own rockets at Israel.

A Palestinian source with a connection to the Gaza Coordinating Room told TPS that it’s surprising that Islamic Jihad has rockets capable of reaching Tel Aviv. The Gaza Coordinating Room is the local headquarters for terror groups to coordinate their activities.

Hamas came under heavy pressure for not joining Islamic Jihad in firing rockets in August 2022. During a 55-hour period, terrorists in Gaza launched about 1,000 rockets at Israel. Islamic Jihad fired rockets after Israel arrested its leader in Judea and Samaria, Bassem Saadi in Jenin on August 1.

That conflict did not win Islamic Jihad broad support. Many in Gaza were angered when 120 rockets fired misfired, often landing inside the Strip, and in cases, killing Palestinian civilians.

On Tuesday, Israel launched surprise air strikes on Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets, including killing three of the terror group’s senior figures. Military positions belonging to Islamic Jihad were struck, including a rocket factory and a facility which produced concrete components for terror tunnels, the IDF said.

The strikes on the Islamic Jihad leaders come against the backdrop of a rocket barrage fired by the terror group following the death of Khader Adnan on May 2. The imprisoned Adnan, a senior Islamic Jihad figure, died after an 86-day hunger strike. The terror group had threatened throughout Adnan’s hunger strike that it would hold Israel responsible for its member’s death.