Behind the Headlines: Escalation in the Gaza Strip, November 2019
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11/14/2019
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Massive barrages of rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza following the after the targeted killing of a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad military commander
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Bahaa Abu al-Atta (circled in red), the commander of the northern brigade of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad
Copyright: IDF Spokesperson
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Massive barrages of rockets were launched at Israel from Gaza following the after the targeted killing of a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad military commander.
Before dawn on November 12, 2019, Israeli Air Force aircraft attacked a building in the Sajaiya neighborhood in the northern Gaza Strip. Bahaa Abu al-Atta, the commander of the northern brigade of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and his wife were killed in the attack.
Immediately after Bahaa Abu al-Atta was killed, PIJ operatives began firing barrages of rockets at Israel. Initially rockets were fired at the south, but a short time later rockets targeted central Israel. As of the morning of Thursday, November 14, 2019, close to 400 rockets had been fired. Several dozen civilians were treated for shock or minor injuries. In addition, houses in the southern Israeli cities of Sderot and Netivot were damaged. The roads near the Gaza Strip were closed and the trains in the southern Negev stopped running.
Bahaa Abu al-Atta and the building in the Sajaiya
neighborhood of Gaza City in which he was targeted. Photos: IDF Spokesperson.
As of the morning of Thursday, 14 November, MDA EMTs and Paramedics have treated 77 people, all of whom were mildly injured. Amongst the injured were 2 men ages 30 and 55 who were injured by shrapnel in the Beer Tuvia Regional Council area and a woman age 65 in Ashkelon. Another 29 who were injured on their way to the shelters and 31 with stress symptoms. The most seriously injured is an eight-year-old girl, who collapsed in her home during an alarm, apparently from arrhythmia brought on by stress. She was rushed to the hospital, where she is being treated and remains in serious condition.
The rocket attacks have not been limited to areas adjacent to the Gaza Strip. Cities and communities throughout the south and south-central part of the country have been affected. The commander of the Israeli Home Front ordered the closing of schools and of non-vital places of employment in southern and central Israel. Businesses were closed and one million school children were forced to stay home, spending the last few days in or close to bomb shelters.
Workers at the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon transferring patients, including premature babies from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit,
to the fortified wing of the hospital. Photos: Barzilai Medical Center.
Damage to homes in Sderot caused by the rocket barrage. Photos: Magen Davis Adom Spokesperson.
The direct cost to the Israeli economy is already $315 million. Three homes suffered direct hits, in Sderot, Netivot and Ashkelon, with structural damage but no injuries.
Weddings: Several couples who had planned large weddings in southern cities had to change their plans and venues. Instead of fancy wedding halls, they found a synagogue or small social hall; instead of 400 to 1000 guests, the couples tied the knot in the intimacy of 100 guests. (During rocket alerts, large gatherings are not allowed.)
As of Thursday morning, 14 November, a ceasefire is in force.
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