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WORLD NEWS Tuesday 25 February 2020
Informal truce in jeopardy for Israel-Islamic Jihad fight

By JOSEF FEDERMAN Gaza's Hamas rulers re-
Associated Press sponsible for all fire coming
JERUSALEM (AP) — An in- out of the coastal enclave,
formal cease-fire meant to and could expand its re-
end two days of fighting be- sponse.
tween Israel and the Pales- Israel and Hamas have
tinian militant group Islamic fought three wars and nu-
Jihad in the Gaza Strip ap- merous skirmishes since
peared to be unraveling the Islamic militant group
late Monday, threatening seized control of Gaza from
to unleash a new round of the internationally recog-
violence just a week before nized Palestinian Author-
Israeli national elections. ity in 2007. Still, Netanyahu
Islamic Jihad announced a appeared to be reluctant
unilateral cease-fire Mon- to pick a fight with Hamas
day evening, saying it had so close to next Monday's
completed its "retaliation" election. Hamas is much
for the deaths of three of more powerful than Islamic
its members, but threaten- Jihad, and it has shown it-
ing to respond to any Israeli self capable of barraging
"aggression." Within hours, it Israel with rocket fire for
accused Israel of continu- weeks at a time.
ing to attack and resumed Hamas, which remained on
rocket fire, setting off air- the sidelines, also has little
raid sirens in southern Israel. interest in renewed fighting
"The enemy did not com- at a time when it is trying to
mit itself into stopping its improve living conditions
aggression we we resumed for the territory it controls.
based on the fire-for-fire Netanyahu's opponents
principle,"said Abu Hamza, have criticized him for his
spokesman of the group's understandings with the
armed wing. group, accusing him of
Residents in Gaza reported caving in to violence to
Israeli airstrikes late Mon- keep things quiet.
day. Israel also announced Rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, Monday, Feb. 24, 2020. "Netanyahu, the country
it was closing its border Associated Press is under fire. Get on help-
crossings with Gaza, halt- Earlier in the day, Prime fire with Hamas, the much the bulldozer lifting the life- ing it," said Netanyahu's
ing cargo deliveries to the Minister Benjamin Netan- larger Islamic militant group less body and dangling it chief rival, former military
blockaded territory and yahu, locked in the final that has governed Gaza off the front of the vehicle commander Benny Gantz,
preventing travelers and days of a divisive election for more than a decade. quickly spread on Palestin- leader of the opposition
workers from exiting. It also campaign, ramped up his These "understandings" ian social media, drawing Blue and White Party. "The
said it would not allow Ga- rhetoric. He threatened have eased a painful Is- angry comments and put- people of the south de-
za's fishermen to go out to Gaza's Hamas rulers with raeli blockade that has rav- ting pressure on the mili- serve better."
sea. a stepped-up operation if aged Gaza's economy, in tants to respond. The election will be Israel's
Earlier in the day, Israeli air- the rocket fire continued. exchange for Hamas guar- Islamic Jihad militants be- third in under a year, after
craft had pounded dozens "I'm talking about a war," antees to maintain quiet. Is- gan firing rockets late Sun- two inconclusive votes last
of targets in the Gaza Strip he told Israel's Army Radio rael's late-night announce- day, and had launched year.
while Islamic Jihad militants station. "I only go to war as ment that it was closing the 80 rockets by the time the Netanyahu, locked in a
bombarded southern Israel a last option, but we have border crossings reimposed cease-fire was announced, tight race with Gantz, has
with heavy rocket fire. Israel prepared something you some of those restrictions. according to the Israeli mili- tried to focus the campaign
also expanded its retalia- can't even imagine." The United Nations' Mideast tary. It said over 90% of the away from his upcoming
tion to Syria, where some of Despite the tough rhetoric, envoy Nickolay Mladenov, rockets were intercepted. trial on corruption charges
the Iranian-backed group's both sides had an interest in a key player in the truce ef- But one projectile slammed by presenting himself as
leaders are based, killing ending the fighting quickly. forts, had tweeted Monday into an empty playground an experienced statesman
two more Islamic Jihad For Netanyahu, the vio- calling for "an IMMEDIATE in the southern Israeli town who is best-suited to pro-
militants in an overnight air- lence has drawn unwant- stop to the firing of rock- of Sderot, causing damage tecting Israel's security. He
strike. ed attention to his inability ets that only risks dragging to a large slide. appeared to have little in-
There were no reports of to halt years of attacks and Gaza into another destruc- Schools were closed in Is- terest in prolonged fighting
civilian casualties on either rocket fire by Gaza mili- tive round of hostilities with raeli areas adjacent to so close to election day.
side. tants. Islamic Jihad, mean- no end in sight!" Gaza, roads shut and re- Tamar Hermann, an expert
while, has been exposed While Hamas has honored strictions placed on out- on Israeli public opinion at
in the past few months as the truce, Islamic Jihad has door public gatherings. the Israel Democracy Insti-
a relatively weak and dis- continued to carry out at- It was the heaviest round of tute think tank, said that af-
organized group — acting tacks. The latest round of fighting since November, ter so many previous rounds
more as a spoiler capable fighting erupted early Sun- when Israel and Islamic Ji- of fighting, she did not ex-
of undermining cease-fire day after Israel killed an Is- had engaged in a two-day pect the latest violence to
efforts than a serious mili- lamic Jihad militant it said battle after Israel killed one have an impact on voters.
tary threat to Israel. was planting explosives of the group's top com- "It's expected and people
In recent months, Israel along the border. manders. are used to it, and resil-
has worked with U.N. and An Israeli military bulldozer The latest Israeli airstrikes ience is not being eroded
Egyptian mediators to ce- pushed into Gaza to re- targeted only Islamic Jihad because of such 'normal
ment an informal cease- trieve his body. Footage of positions. But Israel holds events,'" she said.q