IDF accuses Iran-backed Islamic Jihad of undermining Gaza calm as tensions rise

The Israeli military accuses the Iran-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group of being behind efforts to “destabilize” the situation in the Gaza Strip, as an unofficial ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas appeared to be in peril of collapsing.

“In recent weeks, we have monitored increasing attempts by the Islamic Jihad movement to destabilize the security situation in the Gaza Strip,” the Israel Defense Forces’ Arabic-language spokesperson tweets.

“The activities of the radical Islamic Jihad movement risk… the attempts to improve the civilian reality in the Gaza Strip,” Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee adds.

The accusations by the army spokesman come shortly after Hamas announced it would not be accepting millions of dollars in funding from the Qatari government, a key aspect of the unofficial ceasefire arrangement with Israel.

— Judah Ari Gross