The Times of Israel liveblogged the events of November 12, as Israel is pounded by rockets following the pre-dawn elimination of Islamic Jihad terror chief Baha Abu al-Ata in Gaza.
Rocket warning sounded in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip early Tuesday after Israel killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza.
The IDF said sirens went off in Ashdod and in the Gadera region in southern Israel. The IDF was investigating.
The IDF urged residents of southern Israel to stay close to bomb shelters on Tuesday as the region went on high alert after Israel killed a senior Islamic Jiahd commander.
School was canceled in cities and communities near the Gaza Strip and the railways cancelled routes in southern Israel.
All public events in the area were ordered cancelled.
The Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted several rockets over southern Israel early Tuesday, media reports said.
Israel radio said that several rockets were intercepted over the southern city of Ashdod.
There was no immediate confirmation from the IDF, but warning sirens wailed in several cities in the south, including Ashdod and Ashkelon
Senior military officials says they managed to target the specific room where Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior Islamic Jihad leader was sleeping, and did not destroy the entire building, Israel radio reports.
Palestinians say that Al-ata and his wife were killed in the strike on the building in the Shejaiya area of Gaza City.
The official tells Israel Radio that they had specific information on his location and managed to avoid casualties to bystanders.
The official says this was a one-time operation to get al-Ata, who was responsible for firing dozens of rockets at Israel in recent weeks, and not a return to Israel’s policy of targeted killings.
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman says the killing of a senior Islamic Jihad commander does not represent a return the the policy of targeted killings that saw Israel kill dozens of terror leaders in the last decade.
Zilberman said air force targeted Baha Abu al-Ata because he was “a ticking bomb” and was planning imminent attacks against Israel.
Israeli blames for the recent salvo of rockets fired into Israel.
The security cabinet was set to meet Tuesday morning to discuss the escalation in southern Israel and the Gaza Strip after the IAF kills a senior Islamic Jihad leader and the terror group responded with rockets fired at Israel.
The meeting set for 09.00 a.m. comes the same day as Naftali Bennett is set to take over as Defense Minister.
Israel Radio says that senior Israeli officials have been barred form talking to the media.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu say the decision to kill a senior Islamic Jihad officer was taken Sunday by the cabinet.
“Senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata was targeted overnight in Gaza. He was responsible for many terrorist attacks and the firing of rockets at Israel in recent months and had intended to carry out imminent attacks,” Netanyahu’s office tweets.
“The IDF action was recommended by the IDF Chief-of-Staff and ISA Director and was approved by the Prime Minister and Defense Minister after it had been presented to – and approved by – the Security Cabinet.”
The IDF says it expects terror groups in the Gaza Strip to retaliate for the assassination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior leader Baha abu al-Ata with rocket attacks throughout the country over the coming days.
“We are prepared for several days of battle, with an aerial defense shield, including in the center of the country,” the IDF spokesman says.
— Judah Ari Gross
The IDF responds to the conspicuous timing of the attack, saying it had been planning to conduct the attack for the past week and was waiting for a time when al-Ata was as isolated as possible to avoid civilian casualties.
“Over the last week, we have been waiting for the opportune moment to conduct the surgical strike,” IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus says.
Earlier, former general and current Democratic Camp politician Yair Golan said the timing of the strike was suspicious, and may have been meant to force Benny Gantz into compromise unity government.
— Judah Ari Gross
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein says in a statement that “eliminating al-Atta sends a clear message to all terrorists — no one is immune.”
“I congratulate the security forces and the prime minister on the important action to eliminate the terrorist,” Edelstein says. “During this time, our hearts are with the residents of the South. All the people of Israel are behind you.”
— Raoul Wootliff
School is called off in Rishon Lezion and Holon, just south of Tel Aviv, which were just targeted with rockets from Gaza.
Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz writes on Twitter that “the political echelon and the IDF made the right decision tonight for the security of Israeli citizens and residents of the south.”
He says that “the fight against terrorism is ongoing and requires moments of difficult decision making.”
“Blue and white will back up any proper activity for the security of Israel and put the residents’ security above politics,” he adds.
— Raoul Wootliff
Amid mixed political reactions to the escalation in Gaza, Joint List MK Ofer Kassif says on twitter that “to save his skin, Netanyahu is reverting the only thing he can do: kill, destroy and incite war.
“The bloodshed is on his head,” he says.
In an unprecedented move since the 2014 Gaza war, the IDF Home Front Command says all school is canceled in all of the Dan region, including Tel Aviv, as well as the south.
A house in the southern town of Sderot suffers a direct hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.
Despite the heavy damage, there are no casualties.
תיעוד: הבית שנפגע מרקטה בשדרות@Itsik_zuarets (צילום: מנדי ריזל) pic.twitter.com/AwYDCd249C
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 12, 2019
The Israel Police says officers, among them sappers, have been alerted to two sites where rockets fell in Sderot.
Police call on the public to obey the instructions of the IDF Home Front Command.
The IDF Home Front Command orders all schools and non-essential businesses closed in the following areas: the Gaza periphery; the Lachish region; the western Negev; the central Negev; the Shfela region; the Dan region, including Tel Aviv; and the Yarkon region.
In the Dan and Yarkon regions, the military forbids all public gatherings of more than 300 people.
In the other regions, the IDF forbids gatherings of more than 100 people.
— Judah Ari Gross
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says there have so far been no injuries directly caused by rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, though medics have treated three people for light wounds caused by falls while running to bomb shelters.
A 93-year-old man in the city of Ashkelon, a 24-year-old woman in the city of Gedera and an 18-year-old woman in Ashdod sustained light injuries while rushing to bomb shelters, MDA says.
In addition, three people were taken to the hospital after they suffered panic attacks caused by the rocket attacks, the ambulance service says.
“Magen David Adom teams are on alert and are in contact with security officials,” the service says.
— Judah Ari Gross
Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport says it will continue to operate as usual despite the ongoing rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip.
“Ben Gurion Airport is working as usual with no changes to the flight schedule,” a spokesman for the Israeli Airports Authority says.
Earlier, the IDF Home Front Command ordered closed all schools and non-essential businesses in the Tel Aviv Metropolitan area, where the airport is located.
— Judah Ari Gross
Incoming rocket alert sirens sound in Tel Aviv and suburbs south of the city.
Tel Aviv residents report two Iron Dome missiles fired at the incoming projectiles.
There are reports of explosions, indicating at least one rocket was intercepted.
The Iron Dome missile defense system is activated near Tel Aviv, following rocket sirens in the city.
A video from the scene shows the distinctive puff of smoke caused by the detonation of an Iron Dome Tamir interceptor missile.
It is not immediately clear if the missile successfully shot down an incoming rocket or if it self-detonated after Iron Dome operators saw that the rocket was heading toward an unpopulated area.
Likud MK Gideon Sa’ar calls for political unity amid rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
“The people of Israel are united in these moments, and this unity should also be reflected in the political system and will add strength to Israel,” Sa’ar says on Twitter.
“The target should be dismantling Hamas’s military infrastructure and Islamic Jihad in Gaza,” he says.
Raoul Wootliff
Palestinian media reports that the Israel Defense Forces has hit a number of targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire from the enclave.
There is no immediate confirmation from the IDF.
Blue and White MK Ram Ben Barak says he “rejects the allegations about the timing of the attack,” after suggestions the targeting of a senior member of Palestinian Islamic Jihad was linked to political considerations.
“There is no better time for the elimination of Abu al-Ata, regardless of the political situation. We are still working for a unity government,” Ben Baak says.
President Reuven Rivlin sends a plea for political unity as Israel comes under sustained rocket fire, sending a message of support to the country’s citizens.
“We stand behind the security forces, who have been working for the success of this morning’s operations for a long time. I know that they and the Israeli government that approved the operation, have Israel’s security, and only that, in their minds,” the president says.
“This is no time for political squabbles, and those who do so bring no credit to themselves. It is the time to stop such statements immediately. Israeli citizens – please listen to the life-saving instructions of the IDF Home Front Command and take good care of yourselves.”
– Raphael Ahren
Fresh rocket sirens sound in the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon and their surrounding suburbs.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
– Judah Ari Gross
Joint List chair Ayman Odeh accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of escalating the situation in Gaza for his own political gain.
“A cynical man who lost two consecutive elections will leave only scorched earth in a desperate attempt to remain in office,” Odeh says on Twitter.
“For a decade he rose every morning to deepen the occupation and keep the prospect of peace – and so he did so today too.”
– Raoul Wootliff
The Al-Quds Brigades, Islamic Jihad’s military wing, vows a major response to the assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior commander in the terror group.
“We announce the general mobilization of our fighters and units and we affirm that the response to this crime will have no limits and will be tantamount to the size of the crime that the criminal enemy perpetrated,” the Al-Quds Brigades says in a statement.
According to the Islamic Jihad military wing, Abu al-Ata, 42, was “one of the most prominent members of its military council and the commander of the northern part of the [Gaza Strip].”
– Adam Rasgon
Jordanian media reports that intelligence services in the country recently thwarted terrorist attacks targeting workers at the Israeli and US embassies in Amman, as well as American troops stationed in the Hashemite Kingdom.
Two suspects were arrested on suspicion of planning the attack, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
Ziad al-Nakhala, the secretary-general of Islamic Jihad, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has crossed “all the red lines” in the assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior commander in the terror group.
“We are going to war. Netanyahu has crossed all the red lines in the assassination of Al-Quds Brigades Commander Baha Abu al-Ata. We we will respond forcefully,” he tells Dar al-Hayat, an Arabic-language news site.
The Tel Aviv stock market is trading as normal, a spokeswoman says.
“We are considered an essential operation, therefore we are working as usual.”
– Shoshanna Solomon
The Eshkol region of southern Israel says the rocket and mortar attacks launched from the Gaza Strip have so far all landed in agricultural fields and other open areas, not within communities.
“There are no impacts within communities, and no damage has been caused,” an Eshkol spokesperson says.
Balloons suspected of carrying explosives have touched down in several fields in the region.
“They are being taken care of by police sappers,” the Eshkol spokesperson says.
– Judah Ari Gross
A senior IDF official denies Palestinian media reports of Israeli strikes in the northern Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military refuses to comment on the matter, but has reportedly denied carrying out at least some of the strikes attributed to it.
“When we have something to say, we’ll let you know,” an army spokesperson says.
– Judah Ari Gross
The Hamas terror group says the assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior commander in Islamic Jihad’s military wing will not pass without a “punishment.”
“Our Palestinian people bid farewell today to a commander and fighter who followed the path of martyred leaders. We in Hamas affirm that the Zionist enemy will bear responsibility for all the consequences and ramifications of this escalation and dangerous attack,” Hamas says in a statement.
“The path of fighting and resistance is on the rise and the the crime of assassinating the commander Abu Salim will not pass without a punishment,” the terror group says, referring to Abu al-Ata’s nickname.
– Adam Rasgon
A rocket strikes the city of Ashdod, causing no injuries but damaging a car, police say.
“Sappers from the Israel Police are responding to an impact site in the city of Ashdod,” police say.
Several rockets have also struck the town of Sderot, northeast of the Gaza Strip.
“There have been no reports of damage, and there were no injuries,” police say.
– Judah Ari Gross
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi will give a televised address to the nation from IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv at 10:30 a.m.
The announcement was made after Israel came under sustained rocket fire in the wake of the targeted assassination of a senior commander of the Islamic Jihad terror group.
Fresh rocket sirens sound in the Israeli cities of Holon and Rishon Lezion, outside of Tel Aviv.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
– Judah Ari Gross
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip participate in a funeral procession for Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior Islamic Jihad commander assassinated by Israel Tuesday morning.
Abu al-Ata’s body will be brought from the Shifa Hospital to his family’s home in Shuja’iyya and then to the Omari Mosque in Gaza City, the Islamic Jihad-linked Palestine Today reports.
יצאה לווייתו של בהאא' אבו אל-עטא. https://t.co/pcLSPsFIZZ
— Suleiman Maswadeh סולימאן מסוודה (@SuleimanMas1) November 12, 2019
— Adam Rasgon
Medics resuscitate an 8-year-old girl who lost consciousness during a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on the city of Holon.
At approximately 8 a.m., a rocket was fired toward south Tel Aviv, triggering sirens in the city and nearby suburbs, sending hundreds of thousands of people to bomb shelters.
The girl lost consciousness after her family reached the internal stairwell in their building, medics say.
“When we reached the location, we saw an 8-year-old girl in the stairwell of a building who was unconscious, with no pulse, and who wasn’t breathing,” one of the medics says.
“We gave her life-saving treatment, including advanced CPR, chest massages, artificial respiration, defibrillation and treatment with medication until her pulse came back and we stabilized her condition. We took her to the hospital in serious but stable condition. She was unconscious and connected to a respirator,” the medic says.
It is not immediately clear if the girl’s collapse was caused by the rocket attack.
— Judah Ari Gross
Fresh rocket sirens are heard in Israeli towns outside the Gaza Strip.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The sirens are heard in the town of Netivot and in the Sha’ar Hanegev and Sdot Negev regions.
– Judah Ari Gross
One person is lightly injured by shrapnel after a rocket strikes a highway outside of Gan Yavne, Magen David Adom emergency services spokesman Zaki Heller says.
The man was treated on the scene by paramedics, the spokesman says.
The rocket causes significant damage to the Route 4 highway near the Gan Yavne Junction. Police sappers are called to the scene to remove the projectile.
Several cars were damaged in the blast, police say.
The Israel Defense Forces says some 50 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning.
The IDF adds that 20 projectiles were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
The IDF changes its safety instructions for central Israel, including the city of Tel Aviv, telling residents they can now go to work, provided there is a bomb shelter nearby.
“In light of a new situational assessment, in the Shfela, Dan and Yarkon regions it is now permitted to go to work so long as there is a proper bomb shelter that can be reached,” the military says.
Schools remain closed in those areas.
— Judah Ari Gross
Saeb Erekat, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee, condemns Israel’s assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group commander, the official Palestinian Authority news site Wafa reports.
Erekat says Israel’s government “bears full responsibility for the consequences of this crime,” the Wafa report says.
— Adam Rasgon
A rocket struck a residential neighborhood in the city of Rishon Lezion, causing light damage. No injuries have been reported.
The rocket landed in a street in the Neve Dekalim neighborhood of the city.
— Judah Ari Gross
Fresh rounds of rocket sirens sound in the communities surrounding the Gaza Strip.
No injuries or damage are reported.
— Judah Ari Gross
A mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip lands in an open field in the Sha’ar Hanegev region of southern Israel, sparking a fire, a regional spokesperson says.
Firefighters were called to the scene to put out the blaze.
— Judah Ari Gross
The UK issues an updated travel warning to nationals in light of the military escalation in Israel and the Gaza Strip.
“You should keep up to date with the news and this travel advice while traveling,” the Foreign Office says.
— Raphael Ahren
The European Union’s ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, says he’s “extremely concerned” about the evolving security situation.
“A rapid desecalation [sic] is needed, indiscriminate rocket fire is unacceptable. Need to protect all civilians,” he tweets.
— Raphael Ahren
Blue and White says that “due to the security situation” the meeting between party chairman Benny Gantz and Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman set for today to discuss ongoing coalition negotiations has been postponed until tomorrow.
— Raoul Wootliff
Rocket sirens sound in the central Israeli town of Modiin, as well as the southern city of Ashdod.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
Traffic camera footage emerges showing the moment a rocket hits a highway in the Be’er Tuvia area, northeast of the Gaza Strip.
A 35-year-old man is lightly injured by shrapnel in the strike.
A rocket strikes a home in the southern town of Netivot, causing damage but no injuries, police say.
Police officers, medics and other emergency response officials have arrived at the scene.
— Judah Ari Gross
Rocket sirens sound in Israeli communities north of the Gaza Strip.
The alarms are heard in Netiv Ha’asara and Yad Mordechai.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz was aware of the IDF’s plans to assassinate Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior commander Baha Abu al-Ata ahead of time, his party says in a statement.
— Jacob Magid
Senior Gaza-based Islamic Jihad official Khaled al-Batsh says that the Al-Quds Brigades “are not on their own,” referring to the military wing of the organization.
He makes the comment at the Omari Mosque in Gaza City during the funeral of PIJ senior commander Baha Abu al-Ata.
— Adam Rasgon
An Israeli drone strikes a team of Palestinian terrorists preparing to fire rockets from the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian media reports.
According to initial reports from the Strip, at least one person was killed and others wounded in the Israeli strike west of Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.
The Israeli military does not immediately comment on the reports.
— Judah Ari Gross
Fresh rocket sirens sound in the Sha’ar Hanegev region of southern Israel.
There are no injuries or damage reported.
— Judah Ari Gross
The Israel Defense Forces confirms conducting a strike on two Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives who were preparing to fire rockets at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip.
“The attack was carried out in order to remove the immediate threat. A strike was confirmed,” the military says.
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says one person was killed and several injured in the “Israeli escalation.”
— Judah Ari Gross and Adam Rasgon
Haifa Mayor Einat Kalish announces that the city’s museums and zoo will be free of charge for residents of Gaza border communities and the south in light of the military escalation.
Rocket sirens again sound in the Eshkol region of southern Israel.
The alarms can be heard in the communities of Kissufim, Ein Hashlosha and Nirim.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
Streets in Tel Aviv are much quieter than on a normal Tuesday, though coffee shops are starting to fill up as people working from home venture outside.
“We’re used to this,” said 32 year old Shir, who works for a credit card company. “We’re not going to let that keep us cooped up at home.”
Habimah Square, where the largest public bomb shelter in Tel Aviv is located, is completely empty.
— Melanie Lidman
None of the mortar shells fired at the Eshkol region have landed inside communities, a regional spokesperson says.
The projectiles struck open fields in the region.
“There are no injuries or damage,” the Eshkol spokesperson says.
— Judah Ari Gross
Senior Gaza-based Islamic Jihad official Khaled al-Batsh, speaking at the funeral of a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander killed in an Israeli strike, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is escalating the violence for his own political needs.
“This return to assassinations by way of a major address — that of Baha Abu al-Ata, Abu Salim — is a message that we are carefully reading. By taking [this action],.. the criminal Netanyahu would like to put his government back together and enjoy the backing of the majority there, once again at the expense of our blood,” he tells a crowd at Gaza’s Omari Mosque.
— Adam Rasgon
Rocket sirens again blare in the Sha’ar Hanegev region.
The alarms can be heard in the communities of Alumim and Nahal Oz.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
Video footage emerges from the internal and external cameras on a public bus at the moment a rocket slammed into a highway in the Be’er Tuvia area, northeast of the Gaza Strip.
Daniel Hazan, a driver on the 340 bus line, says that he had just dropped his last passenger and was hoping to relax a little when the rocket hit the road ahead of him.
“I have been shaking until now,” Hazan tells Channel 12 news. “I picked up my coffee to drink a little while waiting for the traffic light to turn green, when suddenly the rocket hit.
“There was no siren. I didn’t hear anything. The rocket just fell. I am shaking,” he says.
Hamas official Ismail Radwan tells the crowd at funeral of Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander killed in IDF strike that the military wing of his organization will act alongside the military wing of PIJ.
“We say to the occupation: If you want to single out the Al-Quds Brigades, we say today that the Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades are twin brothers standing together. Your blood is our blood. Your blood is our blood. O you commander, your blood is our blood,” Radwan says.
— Adam Rasgon
The European Union issues a statement calling for an immediate end to the firing of rockets from Gaza toward Israeli civilians, and offering full support to Egypt in the country’s efforts to bring an end to the current cycle of violence.
“The firing of rockets on civilian populations is totally unacceptable and must immediately stop. A rapid and complete de-escalation is now necessary to safeguard the lives and security of Palestinian and Israeli civilians,” the statement reads. “The European Union fully supports the efforts of Egypt in this regard. As the EU has consistently reiterated, only a political solution can put an end to these continuing cycles of violence.”
Incoming rocket sirens are triggered in the town of Sderot and surrounding Sha’ar Hanegev region.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry releases the names of the three Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip since Tuesday morning.
The three are named as Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata, 42, his wife Asma Abu al-Ata, 39, and Mohammed Hamouda, 20. Hamouda was killed in an Israeli strike on a cell preparing to launch rockets toward Israel.
In addition, the ministry says, 18 people have been wounded.
— Adam Rasgon
Fresh rocket sirens are heard in the city of Ashkelon and surrounding area.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
The IDF has begun conducting retaliatory strikes against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in the Gaza Strip in response to the ongoing rocket attacks by the organization from the coastal enclave.
The decision was announced following a meeting of the security cabinet.
“At this time, the IDf has begun to attack terror targets belonging to the PIJ terror group in the Gaza Strip. More details soon,” the army says.
Until now, the IDF has largely refrained from conducting strikes in the Gaza Strip in response to over 70 rockets and mortar shells fired from the Strip, according to an unofficial tally, with the exception of an attack on a rocket-launching squad in northern Gaza this morning.
The current round of violence began after Israel carried out a targeted killing of Baha Abu al-Ata.
— Judah Ari Gross
In a televised address to the nation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Baha Abu al-Ata, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander killed in a morning strike, was a “ticking time bomb” and that the operation was approved unanimously by the cabinet 10 days ago.
“This terrorist fired hundreds of rockets and planned more attacks,” the prime minister says. “He was a ticking time bomb.”
“Whoever hurts us, we will hurt them. Whoever thinks they can avoid the reach of our long arm is mistaken,” he adds. “We are not interested in escalation but will respond when necessary.”
The prime minister says the operation was discussed by the cabinet for several months, approved 10 days ago and the IDF told to carry out the operation at the time it thought best.
In televised address, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi says the Israeli military is preparing for an escalation in violence after the targeted killing of an Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata in a strike in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday morning.
“He is the man who acted in every way to sabotage attempts for calm with Hamas. He was a live ticking bomb, and even now he worked and planned attacks. He was responsible for the majority of attacks that took place over past year. We are preparing for escalation from the ground, air and sea,” Kohavi says.
Kohavi adds that Abu al-Ata was effectively the head of Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza and is the “man who undermined the quiet in southern Israel.”
Fresh rocket sirens are triggered in Israeli communities north of the Gaza Strip.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The alarms can be heard in the communities of Erez, Yad Mordechai and Netiv Ha’asara.
— Judah Ari Gross
Fire services work to control a large blaze at a factory in the southern town of Sderot that was sparked by a rocket strike.
According to a statement from fire services, the warehouse was used to store mattresses and is in danger of collapse.
Additional fire crews from the area are on the scene.
Yisrael Beytenu head Avigdor Liberman says that last year Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “prevented” the assassination of Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata, killed in a Tuesday strike by the IDF.
“A year ago, Netanyahu resisted his targeted killing and sat back. I thought even a year ago that his time had come, but the prime minister forcibly prevented it,” Liberman tells the Walla news site.
Incoming rocket sirens sound in the city of Ashdod and nearby community of Nitzan.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
IDF aircraft bombed a number of Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists in the northern Gaza Strip as they prepared to fire rockets at Israel, the military says.
— Judah Ari Gross
Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein criticizes members of the Joint List for their responses to the escalation in Gaza, saying they prove how “irresponsible” it would be to form a coalition based on the party’s support.
“The only voices we heard this morning that didn’t express support for the IDF came from here, from the Knesset. The Joint List were the only ones who came out with a political statement explaining that this was a political decision,” Edelstein tells a US delegation from the Council for a Secure America.
“It’s very disappointing and I think it just makes it more clear how irresponsible all this talk of having a coalition or a government based on the support of the Arab List was, and is,” Edelstein says.
MK Ayman Odeh, who leads the Joint List alliance of predominantly Arab parties, slammed Prime Minister Netanyahu this morning, accusing him of ordering the killing of Islamic Jihad commander Bahu Abu al-Ata for political gain at a time when his grasp on the premiership is the most tenuous in a decade.
Edelstein says the messages heard from the Joint List “make it clear that [our opposition to them] has nothing to do with the ethnic origin of this or that member of Knesset but has all to do with the very basic approach to the security of our citizens.”
— Raoul Wootliff
Blue and White chair Benny Gantz says the escalation in Gaza will not affect his ongoing negotiations to form a coalition.
“This action will have no effect on the political processes taking place,” Gantz says in a statement supporting the Israel’s early-morning airstrike killing a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander in the Gaza Strip.
“The terrorist Abu Al-Ata who was killed tonight was destined for death. Just like Hamas chief of staff Ahmed Jabari, just like any terrorist who commits murderous acts against Israeli citizens,” Gantz says. “For the sake of Israel’s security, the political and security echelons often have to make tough decisions, while assessing their price. Such was the decision on the night’s operation on which I was updated in advance. This is an operational and policy decision.”
He adds: “I would like to emphasize: Blue and White, headed by me, will always put citizens’ safety before anything else.”
— Raoul Wootliff
After an hour-long lull, rocket sirens sound in communities in southern Israel outside the Gaza Strip.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The alarms could be heard in the town of Netivot, and in the Sdot Negev, Sha’ar Hanegev and Eshkol regions.
— Judah Ari Gross
Transportation Ministry Bezalel Smotrich denounces the European Union’s top court for ruling that settlement goods need to be labeled as such, suggesting that the judges in Luxembourg are supporting the Gaza terrorists who have been shooting hundreds of rockets at Israel.
“On the same day that Israel’s enemies remind of us their aspiration to destroy us, and of the results of escaping from terrorism and relinquishing control over territory, the European court is positioning itself by their side,” he says in a statement.
— Raphael Ahren
One Palestinian was killed and three others were wounded in an Israeli strike in the northern Gaza Strip, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reports.
The Palestinian who was killed was named as 25-year-old Zaki Ghanama, the ministry says.
— Adam Rasgon
The IDF says it has launched fresh airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad facilities as the terror group continues to fire rockets and mortar shells at southern Israel.
This was the IDF’s second round of airstrikes in Gaza. The military has yet to identify the targets of these strikes.
— Judah Ari Gross
The Israeli military says its airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have targeted Palestinian Islamic Jihad underground facilities and training camps.
The IDF says these underground facilities are used “for storage and manufacturing of weapons.”
These sites are seen as critical facilities for the terror group, which PIJ has invested large sums of money to construct.
“The IDF sees the rocket fire at Israeli territory and citizens with the utmost severity, and it is prepared to continued to defend citizens of the country and for any operation that is needed,” the military says in a statement.
— Judah Ari Gross
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh weighs in on the fighting in the Gaza Strip after Israel’s targeted killing of Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata, condemning the Israeli “aggression” against Palestinians in the coastal enclave, which he says will “fortify the alliance of the resistance factions.”
“These crimes of the occupation come at a time in which our people’s factions and forces have made advances toward restoring our national unity in order to stand together in the battle of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa, settlements and prisoners,” Haniyeh says in a statement.
“The occupation’s leaders are trying to cause confusion as a part of a desperate effort to block the path to restoring our national unity, especially in light of the positive atmosphere in our Palestinian arena in recent days,” adds Haniyeh, in apparent reference to progress in efforts to hold Palestinian elections.
Haniyeh says targeted killings by Israel “will not succeed in changing the fighting creed of the resistance factions and forces.”
Haniyeh also says that Hamas’s leadership offers its condolences to Islamic Jihad secretary-general Ziad al-Nakhala regarding the “martyrdom” of Abu al-Ata and the son of Akram al-Ajouri, a member of the terror group’s politburo, who was killed in an airstrike in Damascus.
— with Adam Rasgon
A mortar shell fired from the Gaza Strip strikes a home in the Eshkol region, causing damage to the building, but no injuries, a regional spokesperson says.
The family was inside in the house at the time of the attack, but had taken cover in the bomb shelter, the Eshkol spokesperson said.
The mortar shell struck the roof of the home, damaging it.
— Judah Ari Gross
תיעוד מהבית שנפגע ישירות באשכול@Itsik_zuarets (צילום: ביטחון אשכול) pic.twitter.com/AHNU3nHHcP
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 12, 2019
The Israeli envoy to the UN calls on the United Nations Security Council to condemn the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip toward Israel.
“Nine million citizens are facing an insufferable terror attack by terror groups. I expect a clear and unequivocal condemnation of the side responsible for this and not a statement calling for both sides to act with restraint. The time has come for the international community to understand that silence is a prize for terror,” Ambassador Danny Danon says in a statement.
Danon adds: “Israel is not interested in an escalation but will lead the campaign against terror with determination and strength.”
New Right MK Naftali Bennett takes over as defense minister with the “passing of the baton” from Prime Minister Netanyahu, who had also held the defense portfolio.
The Defense Ministry publishes photos of Bennett and Netanyahu meeting with IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat, and the military secretaries to the prime and defense minister.
Bennett’s assumption of the Defense Ministry helm comes amid fighting between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip after the Israeli military killed Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata.
A mortar shell struck inside a community in the Sha’ar Hanegev region, causing damage to some property, a regional spokesperson says.
No injuries are reported.
The specific location of the impact site is not reported as this information could be used by terrorists to better direct their fire.
— Judah Ari Gross
IDF tanks strike three Islamic Jihad military positions in the Gaza Strip, the army says.
— Jacob Magid
Blue and White party chairman Benny Gantz is currently receiving a security update amid fighting in the Gaza Strip from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the premier’s military secretary Brig. Gen. Avi Blot, both the party leaders’ offices announce.
— Jacob Magid
Rocket sirens sound in the community of Mavkiim in southern Israel, the IDF reports.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Jacob Magid
The IDF is currently launching a new series of airstrikes on Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets throughout the Gaza Strip, the army says.
— Jacob Magid
Defense Minister Naftali Bennett declares a “special situation” in areas near the Gaza Strip amid rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave.
A Defense Ministry statement doesn’t specify what the special situation entails, but says it applies to communities within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of Gaza. It will be effective for 48 hours, barring a decision to cancel it early or extend it.
A Palestinian man in the Gaza Strip succumbed to wounds he sustained earlier today in an Israeli strike, the Hamas-run Health Ministry reports.
The ministry identifies him as 26-year-old Ibrahim al-Dabous.
A total of five Palestinians in Gaza, including senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata, have been killed today by Israeli fire.
— Adam Rasgon
The IDF provides details on its ongoing airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.
It says the strikes have targeted “training compounds, including one used by PIJ’s naval commando unit, the shaft of an offensive terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip and a tunnel digging site in the central Gaza Strip.”
— Jacob Magid
The US Embassy in Jerusalem calls on American citizens in Israel to exercise vigilance amid rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
“As security incidents, including rocket fire, often take place without warning, US citizens are strongly encouraged to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness,” it says in a statement on its website.
“In the event of mortar and/or rocket fire, a Red Alert siren may be activated. Treat all such alerts as real; follow the instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately,” the embassy adds.
Incoming rocket sirens sound in the communities of Netiv Ha’asara and Nahal Oz near the Gaza border, the IDF reports.
— Jacob Magid
The Blue and White party says it has canceled a special Knesset session tomorrow on “growing violence in Israeli society” due to ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The party says the session will be held at another date.
The IDF has called up a few hundred reservists due to fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The call-up includes members of Iron Dome missile defense units, Military Intelligence and the Home Front Command.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it has treated 39 Israelis since rocket fire from Gaza began this morning after Israel killed a senior Islamic Jihad military commander.
Most of the victims suffered from anxiety, while 17 people were treated for injuries sustained after falling while running to bomb shelters during red alert sirens, according to MDA. Two victims were lightly injured by rocket shrapnel.
A MDA spokesman says doctors were still not sure if the heart attack suffered by an 8-year-old in a bomb shelter earlier today was related to the rocket fire or siren. She remains in serious condition.
— Jacob Magid
Incoming rocket sirens sound in Kibbutz Nirim near the Gaza border, the IDF reports.
Shortly before, sirens were also heard in Kibbutz Nir Am.
— Jacob Magid
Egyptian officials say Cairo is attempting to de-escalate tensions between Israel and Palestinian terrorists in Gaza amid the worst bout of fighting there in recent months.
The officials say Egypt’s general intelligence agency has stepped up communications and has “opened channels” with the US and the European Union. The officials speak on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to brief the media.
Egypt often acts as a mediator between Israel and Gaza terrorists, and brokered a cease-fire deal in May.
That deal appeared threatened after a pre-dawn Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander.
Terrorists in Gaza have responded with rockets fired into Israel, and the Israeli military has carried out a number of airstrikes in Gaza.
— Agencies
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman condemns the “barbaric” rocket fire by Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip and says the United States stands by the Jewish state.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Islamist terrorist org backed by Iran, is again attacking Israel with 100’s of missiles aimed at civilians. We stand w our friend & ally Israel at this critical moment & support Israel’s right to defend itself & bring an end to these barbaric attacks
— David M. Friedman (@USAmbIsrael) November 12, 2019
Ziyad al-Thabet, deputy minister of the Education Ministry in the Gaza Strip, tells the Hamas-linked al-Rai news site that it was decided schools in the Palestinian enclave will be closed tomorrow.
— Adam Rasgon
Jordan’s foreign ministry is condemning an Israeli strike in the Gaza Strip that killed a top Islamic Jihad commander.
The Israeli strike triggered a barrage of rocket fire from Gaza and set off the fiercest fighting between Israel and Gaza terrorists in months.
In a statement, Daifallah al-Fayez, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, blames Israel for the ensuing escalation in violence.
He says the fighting “will only increase tension and violence, deepen the environment of despair and promote extremist agendas in the region.”
He calls for Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiations, saying that talks, along with an end to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on the territory, could bring a solution to Gaza’s woes.
— Agencies
Israeli aircraft target two Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters preparing to launch rockets at Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF says.
A “hit” was identified, according to the army.
— Jacob Magid
Fresh rocket sirens are triggered in Israeli communities adjacent to the northern Gaza Strip.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The alarms can be heard in the city of Sderot and the surrounding area.
— Jacob Magid
A Magen David Adom spokesman says the emergency service has treated 46 Israelis since rocket fire from the Gaza Strip began this morning.
Twenty-one victims suffered from anxiety, while 23 people were treated for injuries sustained after falling while running to bomb shelters during red alert sirens, the spokesman says. Two victims, aged 30 and 55 were lightly injured by rocket shrapnel.
— Jacob Magid
Some 190 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since the targeted killing of senior Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
The Iron Dome missile defense system managed to intercept dozens of rockets, the army says.
It adds that the Iron Dome’s success rate during this time period stands at roughly 90 percent, with about 50% of the launches landing in open areas, thus not requiring Iron Dome interception.
— Jacob Magid
Another two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been killed by Israeli fire, the Hamas-run Health Ministry says.
— Adam Rasgon
Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam says school will be canceled tomorrow in the southern coastal city amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum says that terror groups in the Gaza Strip will continue to retaliate to Israel’s targeted killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, who was a senior commander in Islamic Jihad’s military wing, but with “wisdom.”
“The response to the assassination will continue, but with wisdom and understanding and comprehension of the resistance’s ability to manage this battle,” Barhoum tells the Hamas-linked Al-Aqsa TV.
— Adam Rasgon
Following Ashkelon, the southern cities of Ashdod and Yavne also cancel school tomorrow amid fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli fighter jets bomb a number of underground facilities and observation posts controlled by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad as part of the IDF’s latest round of airstrikes on the terror group as rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip continue into their 12th hour, the army says.
According to the army, the underground facilities were used by PIJ to manufacture weapons and for other military purposes.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry says five Palestinians — all apparent members of the PIJ terror group — have been killed in IDF strikes as they were preparing to launch rockets at Israel.
In addition, 45 people have been injured to various degrees, the health ministry says.
— Judah Ari Gross
The Beersheba Municipality announces school will be canceled tomorrow in the southern city.
The Gaza-area city of Sderot also cancels classes, as do the central Israel cities of Rishon Lezion and Modiin.
Islamic Jihad spokesman Musab al-Breim suggests terror group could continue to fire rockets at Israel in response to the Jewish state’s killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, who was a senior commander in Islamic Jihad’s military wing.
“The field is the one speaking in this round with occupation. The coming hours will speak for themselves,” he tells the Islamic Jihad-linked Palestine Today news site.
— Adam Rasgon
Avi Berkowitz, the Trump administration’s new Middle East peace envoy, condemns Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket fire at Israel and says the White House backs the Jewish state in fighting terrorists.
The Administration strongly condemns the barrage of rockets on Israeli civilians and continues to monitor the situation. It's clear that the main obstacles holding Gazans back are Hamas and PIJ who put violence ahead of bettering the lives of the people of Gaza.
— Avi Berkowitz (@aviberkow45) November 12, 2019
The Tel Aviv suburbs of Ramat Gan and Givatayim cancel school Wednesday.
The city of Rehovot in central Israel also cancels classes due to the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip.
The British Foreign Office condemns rocket fire by Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip at Israel and calls on both sides to “rapidly de-escalate” tensions.
“We are deeply concerned by the escalation of hostilities in Gaza. The UK condemns the firing of rockets at civilian populations. Any attacks targeted against civilians are unlawful and unjustifiable,” it says in a statement.
The Foreign Office adds: “We call on all sides to rapidly de-escalate the situation, and support the UN and Egyptian efforts to achieve that objective.”
A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s military wing, warns of further rocket fire from the Gaza Strip tonight and says Israel will not determine how the current round of fighting in the enclave ends.
“We hold the enemy fully responsible for the consequences of its stupid decision to assassinate the leadership of the resistance,” Abu Hamza says. “The coming hours will add a new headline to the record of defeats of the enemy’s rash prime minister, who has only brought the Zionists destruction and war.”
Abu Hamza continues: “We tell the enemy: Perhaps you succeeded in starting this aggression against our people and resistance, but you will not be able to determine when it ends.”
“The coming hours will record a victory for our people. While you started the battle, you will not be able know when it will end,” he says. “We send a message to the Zionist settlers to not listen to their dumb leadership. The decision is now in the hands of the Al-Quds Brigades and the Palestinian resistance.”
— with Adam Rasgon
Fresh rocket sirens sound in the Netiv Ha’asara community north of the Gaza Strip.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
Israeli aircraft strike an underground launchpad in the northern Gaza Strip that the IDF says was used by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad to fire rockets at Israel.
“A hit was confirmed,” the army says.
— Judah Ari Gross
Iran’s foreign ministry condemns Israel for the targeted killing of Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior military commander in the Iranian-backed Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
“Unfortunately, in light of support for this ruthless and child-killing regime, the crimes against and assassinations of Palestinian people and fighters have continued inside and outside the occupied territories,” ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi says in a statement.
Incoming rocket sirens sound in the city of Ashkelon and surrounding towns.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Channel 12 reports that two rockets were launched and that both were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
Residents of the city of Ashkelon and the surrounding area report seeing signs of multiple interceptions by the Iron Dome. There are no immediate reports of impact sites in populated areas.
— with Judah Ari Gross
United Nations Special Coordinator Nickolay Mladenov “is heading urgently to Cairo,” a diplomatic source tells The Times of Israel, adding that the UN “has been involved throughout the day to de-escalate” tensions between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip.
In the past year, Mladenov has taken part in efforts to broker several temporary ceasefires between Israel and the terror groups.
— Adam Rasgon
Three Palestinians arrived dead at a hospital in the northern Gaza Strip amid “the Israeli escalation,” the Hamas-run health ministry reports.
— Adam Rasgon
The possibility of further escalation between Israel and terror groups in the Gaza Strip is “high,” according to a source close to discussions regarding restoring calm.
“The situation remains very complicated and the risk of escalation is high,” the source tells The Times of Israel.
“It is too early to talk of mediation yet. The goal now is to stop the escalation.”
— Adam Rasgon
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met this evening with Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Gabi Ashkenazi amid the ongoing fighting in the Gaza Strip, the latter’s Blue and White party says.
The meeting was held at the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv and also attended by Brig. Gen. Avi Blot, the premier’s military secretary, according to Blue and White.
Netanyahu met earlier today with Blue and White MK Benny Gantz to discuss the situation in Gaza. Gantz is currently trying to form a government after Netanyahu failed to do so following elections in September.
The IDF says it is carrying out a new round of airstrikes on Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.
— Judah Ari Gross
Fresh rocket sirens sound in the Eshkol region of southern Israel, following a brief lull.
The alarms can be heard in the towns of Sufa, Holit, Pri Gan, Nir Yitzhak and Sde Nitzan.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
Incoming rocket alarms sound in Israeli communities east of the Gaza Strip.
Sirens are heard in the towns of Kfar Azza, Saad, Nahal Oz, Nirim and Ein Hashlosha.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
— Judah Ari Gross
The rockets fired at southern Israel in the past hour all landed in open fields, outside communities, a spokesperson for the Eshkol region says.
“There are no injuries and no damage,” the spokesperson says.
Military sources say more than 200 rockets have been fired at Israel in the course of Tuesday.
— Judah Ari Gross
Transportation Ministry Bezalel Smotrich denounces the European Union’s top court for ruling that settlement goods need to be labeled as such, suggesting that the judges in Luxembourg are supporting the Gaza terrorists who have been shooting hundreds of rockets at Israel.
“On the same day that Israel’s enemies remind of us their aspiration to destroy us, and of the results of escaping from terrorism and relinquishing control over territory, the European court is positioning itself by their side,” he says in a statement.
— Raphael Ahren
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