Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) officially announced Monday evening the discovery of a deceased hostage. The Qatari Al-Jazeera channel reported the deceased Israeli hostage was located in rubble in northern Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, the deceased hostage was held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. According to assessments within the security establishment, the discovery involves remains rather than a complete body, but official confirmation has not yet been received.

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The claim was brought forward for the families of Avinatan Or, Eitan Mor, and Omri Miran through attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner of the Shurat HaDin – Israeli Law Center. The plaintiffs argue Khan has not been acting in good faith, seemingly to avoid addressing allegations of sexual attacks he carried out on an employee under him.

They assert that Khan waited eight months prior to seeking arrest warrants for three key Hamas figures – Mohammed Deif, Yahya Sinwar, and Ismail Haniyeh – while tying this to the same measures against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ex-defense minister Yoav Gallant. Furthermore, he avoided issuing warrants for Palestinian Islamic Jihad heads and further Hamas officials presently responsible for holding the hostages.

The claim contends that via these deeds, Khan not only invented libels against the State of Israel and offered a misleading depiction to the plaintiff, but additionally delivered aid to the terror groups and supported them. The families say Khan has enabled the terrorists to persist in holding their dear ones by not pursuing action against them, particularly those residing in Qatari hotels and beyond the Strip who presume to engage in talks extorting the State of Israel.

Attorney Darshan-Leitner stated, "The International Criminal Court has become a branch of Hamas. Through its direct actions, it has given the terror murderers tremendous backing. Khan's goal is to prevent Israel from achieving the war's objectives – the destruction of Hamas and the release of the hostages – by portraying it as a criminal state."

She continued by noting that Khan has cynically exploited the distress of the hostage families, the starved and injured in the terror tunnels, all this in order to escape the threat of justice for alleged sexual offenses he committed himself.

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The fact that Palestinian terrorist Kamel Abu Bakr, who murdered Israeli father of three Chen Amir on Saturday evening, came from Jenin should surprise no one, despite the recent anti-terrorism campaign in the West Bank city, which the IDF said was successful.

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During the operation, the vast majority of the terrorists hid underground and did not confront the Israeli security forces. Abu Bakr likely did the same, which allowed him to evade arrest and eventually arrive armed in the heart of Tel Aviv, the soft underbelly of Israel.

Video: Footage of the Tel Aviv shooter being neutralized

As expected, Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad praised the attack and the attacker and said that Tel Aviv was their main target. They cited the al-Aqsa mosque as the reason for the shooting rather than the death of a 19-year-old Palestinian in clashes with settlers on Friday.

Shortly after the clashes, the IDF expressed concern about further violence in Judea and Samaria following the settler violence, saying it was the main reason that prompts Palestinians uninvolved in terror to perpetrate an attack.

The Tel Aviv shooting, however, is not such a case as Abu Bark was a wanted person affiliated with a terrorist organization.

But the two incidents indicate that the atmosphere is likely to be sensitive in the near days. "Successful" attacks in the heart of Tel Aviv are known to inspire further such attacks.

From a security point of view, Israel will have to take significant steps to minimize danger and create a strong deterrent to protect the lives of civilians within and beyond the Green Line.

However, the political climate is such that even if the government's considerations are purely security-related, it will be suspected of ulterior motives. Such as with the Jenin anti-terrorism campaign itself, when political and security officials were accused of seeking to disrupt protests against the judicial reform.

The entire security system, especially the Shin Bet security agency, is now required to split its attention and efforts, both with the aim of thwarting Palestinian terrorism as well as preventing violence by settlers that only exacerbates the situation.

This is a complex and complicated challenge, especially against the background of the political chaos in Israel.
The bottom line is that in view of the challenging security situation in the Palestinian arena – not to mention the tumultuous northern border – Israel cannot afford to continue the infighting.

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Israeli forces on Wednesday carried out the first targeted air strike in years to eliminate a terror cell in the West Bank city of Jenin, a known Islamic stronghold.

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The IDF and the Shin Bet security agency issued a joint statement confirming the attack on a car with three terrorists inside – Muhammad Awais, 28, Ashraf a-Saadi, 17, and Suhaib al-Ghoul, 27. They were identified as two operatives of the Jenin battalion of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group and a member of Fatah's Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.

"A short while ago, following precise intelligence of the Shin Bet, IDF soldiers identified a terrorist cell inside a suspicious vehicle, after the cell carried out a shooting near the town of Jalamah," the statement said. "The terrorist cell carried out a number of shooting attacks against settlements throughout Judea and Samaria lately. After identifying the terrorist cell, an IDF drone fired toward the cell and thwarted them."

The IDF spokesman, Brig. Gen. Daniel Hagari, said that this type of attack hasn't been used by the Israeli military since 2006.

"We opened fire from a Zik-type drone of the artillery corps at the vehicle after firing at the crossing. There were three people and three weapons in the vehicle, their identity is currently being investigated by the Shin Bet. This type of thwarting was last time used in 2006," he said.

The PIJ vowed to avenge the deaths of their operatives.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant praised the security forces who carried out the attack, reiterating that Israel will take a "proactive approach" in the fight against terrorism and "will pursue and catch our enemies. According to Palestinian reports, the IDF had entered Jenin, with gunfire heard in the area.

The air strike comes a day after a terrorist shooting attack killed four Israeli civilians near the village of Eli.

This article was first published by i24NEWS.

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Hardly anyone was surprised by the arrest raid conducted by the IDF in Jenin on Monday. The only surprise, perhaps, was the fact that it happened only now.

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Security forces have been conducting an anti-terrorism campaign in the West Bank for a year and a half. It began with Jenin, then Nablus, and most recently, the Tulkram area. These areas are known to be strongholds for terrorism, especially in the refugee camp in Jenin and the kasbah in Nablus, and to a lesser extent in other cities and villages.

Until two years ago, such activities were largely led by the Palestinian Authority. The IDF only got involved in exceptional cases that involved senior terrorists or in case of danger of an immediate attack.

But then, due to a series of internal processes, from political power struggles to economic conflicts, the governance of the Palestinian Authority and its security forces deteriorated to almost non-existent. It created a vacuum that terror organizations seized upon, led by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and the local Lion's Den group.

The matter led to an increase in terror attacks, leaving the IDF and the Shin Bet security agency no choice but to increase their activity in the region significantly. Israel now conducts almost nightly arrest raids in the area, and lately during the day as well for an element of surprise.

But while the operations usually progress as smoothly as possible, Monday's raid got complicated. The forces were detected, fired at, and seven fighters were injured. On the Palestinian side, five were killed and dozens injured.

The IDF was forced to use attack aircraft for the first time in decades to provide cover and rescue the soldiers. The event reflects the rising level of violence in the region and the need for heavier measures.

The military should consider upgrading the soldiers' weapons to ensure their safety, even at the cost of making them heavier and slower.

The time has come for a more extensive operation in northern Samaria. There is no need to overtake the area, but to position large forces and maximally use our intelligence and operational capabilities in order to reach the most number of terrorists and those linked to terrorism in the shortest time possible.

Such an option has been on the table for over a year, but it seems that now is the time to implement it.

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The Israel Defense Forces canceled an airstrike in the Gaza Strip overnight Thursday after several children were detected in the vicinity of the terror target.

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In a video posted on the IDF's official Twitter page, a fighter can be heard saying in Hebrew, "There is a child here outside. 40 meters. Two. Hold fire. Hold fire."

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit routinely publishes footage of airstrikes, only this time, instead of an explosion, the military said it canceled the bombing due to the presence of civilians.

Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit

Considered the most moral army in the world, the IDF takes extensive measures to minimize collateral damage and is known for its so-called "roof knocking" technique that alerts inhabitants of an incoming attack ahead of time, giving them the chance to flee.

Meanwhile, four Palestinian civilians, including a 10-year-old girl and two 16-year-old boys, were killed in Gaza due to a missile launched by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad that landed within the strip.

The IDF said that for every four missile launched, one fails to cross into Israeli territory.

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Israel targeted early Tuesday the residences of three senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists responsible for the recent rocket salvo into Israel in early May, when some 100 rockets were fired on Israel following the death of a hunger-striking prisoner.

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In the bombings, codenamed "Operation Shield and Arrow," Khalil Bahtini, Tareq Izzeldeen, and Jehad Ghanam – all of whom were involved in terror activities against Israeli civilians – were killed.

Bahtini was the PIJ commander for the northern Gaza Strip and was planning imminent terror attacks in Israel. Forty-four years old, he lived in Gaza City.

He joined the terror organization in the late 1990s and over the years promoted suicide attacks, bombings, and rocket fire in Israel. He took over the position after his predecessor, Tayseer al-Jabari, was killed during Operation Breaking Dawn in 2022.

Izzeldeen was the group's intermediary between its Gaza and West Bank members for the transfer of terror funds. Forty-nine years old, he was originally from the Arab village of Arraba in the Lower Galilee. He too was engaged in the planning of terror attacks against Israeli civilians.

Ghanam was the secretary of PIJ's military council. Sixty-two years old, he lived in Rafah in southern Gaza. He was one of the most high-ranking and veteran PIJ terrorists and held several key positions in the group, including the commander of its southern wing.

At the time of his death, he oversaw the transfer of funds between the PIJ and Hamas and was involved in promoting terrorism in Gaza, Israel, and abroad.

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Iran's president on Friday delivered an unprecedented speech to an annual pro-Palestinian rally in the Gaza Strip – a display of Iran's importance to the Hamas terrorist group that rules the territory.

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In a virtual address to hundreds of supporters of Hamas and the smaller Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group gathered at a soccer field, Ebrahim Raisi urged Palestinians to press on with their struggle against Israel.

"The initiative to self-determination is today in the hands of the Palestinian fighters," Raisi said, dismissing Hamas' domestic political rival, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, which has long sought to win Palestinian statehood through negotiations with Israel. The PA administers autonomous enclaves in the West Bank.

Raisi's speech was seen as part of efforts to mend a rift between Hamas and its long-time patron, Iran, over the devastating civil war in Syria.

Raisi addressed the crowd on the occasion of "Jerusalem Day," or al-Quds Day after the city's Arabic name, which falls on the final Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam. The mosque sits atop a walled esplanade, a compound that was the site of biblical Jewish temples and is revered as the most sacred site in Judaism.

The compound has repeatedly been a flashpoint in the long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Last week, Israeli police forcefully removed Palestinian worshippers who had barricaded themselves in the mosque with stones and firecrackers. After the raid, in which hundreds of Palestinians were detained and dozens hurt, Palestinian militants fired rockets from Gaza, Lebanon and Syria toward Israel.

The Hamas leader in Gaza, Yehiyeh Sinwar, praised the rocket fire during Friday's rally. "The response came like a simple electric shock," he aid.

For the past four decades, al-Quds Day parades have drawn thousands to the streets around the Middle East. The event is most dramatic in Iran, where crowds burn Israeli flags and chant pledges to "liberate Jerusalem."

Although Hamas is a Sunni Muslim group, it has long nurtured close ties with Iran, a source of funding and a Shiite powerhouse. Hamas and Iran are brought together by a shared enmity toward Israel.

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While Iran has not revealed the details of its support, Hamas has publicly praised the Islamic Republic for its assistance. Experts say Iran's support is both financial and political – now mostly blueprint technology, engineering know-how and training to help the terror group grow its own homemade arsenal of advanced rockets that can strike all of Israel's territory.

A blockade was imposed on Gaza after Hamas violently wrested control of the strip in 2007, which has made it difficult for the terror group to smuggle in Iranian-made rockets in recent years.

The US State Department reports that Iran provides some $100 million a year to Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The civil war in Syria strained the relationship. In 2012, Hamas closed its Damascus office and left Syria following President Bashar Assad's brutal crackdown on a popular uprising – including on the Muslim Brotherhood. But Hamas has been drifting closer to Iran, a main backer of Assad. Recent steps toward reconciliation between Hamas and Assad late last year have pointed toward Iran's growing influence on Gaza's rulers.

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Prime Minister Naftali Bennett touched on rocket fire toward central Israel at the first cabinet meeting of the new year on Sunday.

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On Saturday, Hamas opted to usher in 2022 by firing two rockets at central Israel. In response, IDF fighter jets, helicopters, and tanks targeted a number of the group's military targets in the Gaza Strip overnight Saturday and early Sunday.

The rockets landed off the coast and there were no reports of wounded or damage. As per protocol, because the rockets were on course to land in the sea, no sirens were activated and they were not intercepted. Tel Aviv residents reported hearing explosions off the coast as the rockets fell.

The IDF said airstrikes hit a rocket manufacturing facility, while tanks fired on several Hamas outposts on the border.

"As fireworks lit up the skies to celebrate #NewYear2022 around the world, a different type of fire came from Gaza – terrorist rocket fire toward Israel," the IDF said on Twitter.

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, Bennett said, "The air force attacked several targets in Hamas' rocket manufacturing compound in Khan Younis last night. In addition, the IDF also attacked Hamas positions on the border.

"These strikes are a response to the rocket fire yesterday [Saturday] toward the Mediterranean coast. I want to make something clear: all Hamas' stories about thunder and lightning [causing the rockets to go off]  which are repeated every winter, are no longer relevant. Anyone who aims rockets at Israel will bear the responsibility," Bennett said.

The IDF stressed that Hamas was responsible for what took place in Gaza and would carry the ramifications for any terrorist actions carried out from the Gaza Strip.

Video filmed in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip showed three huge explosions and fighter jets could be heard flying overhead.

Hamas Radio said some of the group's security posts and a training camp were targeted by Israeli aircraft and tanks. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

A source in the terrorist organizations said the rockets had been fired due to "weather conditions." However, various reports in Arab media outlets said that the rocket fire had been intentional and carried out by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Recently, the PIJ issued threated that if Hisham Abu Hawash, one of its members currently on a hunger strike in an Israeli prison, dies, the group will treat his death as a "targeted killing" and "act accordingly."

On Saturday, the PIJ declared that it held Israel "completely responsible" for the continued decline of Abu Hawash's health.

The news site Falastin al-Youm, identified with the PIJ, reported Saturday that any Israeli response to the latest rocket fire would be "met with a violent response."

Egyptian media reported that Cairo has intervened and called on both sides to deescalate.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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In a fresh warning to the newly former Naftali Bennett-led government, Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Saturday said its patience with Israel was "running out" and was ready to retaliate for its attacks in the Gaza Strip, which have come in response to a renewed cross-border arson campaign.

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Senior PIJ official Khader Habib told the Ramallah-based Al Ayam newspaper that terrorist groups in Gaza have delivered a message to Israel through Egyptian mediators warning that if its retaliatory strikes continue, as well as the blockade on the Strip that Jerusalem says is necessary to prevent terrorist groups from building up their military capabilities, "the [terrorist] organizations will respond in a similar fashion."

"We will not allow the Israeli government to impose its conditions on the resistance or isolate Gaza," Habib said, adding that "the joint headquarters of the [terrorist] organizations in Gaza have formulated a final and unified position to face Israeli conduct in the coming days."

Habib additionally warned of potential fighting along the entire Gaza border, despite the calls for restraint by some within the enclave.

Israeli aircraft struck twice in Gaza last week, targeting military facilities and launch pads belonging to Hamas, the terrorist organization that controls Gaza, in response to incendiary balloon attacks on Israel that led to dozens of brush fires and destroyed crops. Despite the threats from Gaza-based terrorist groups, the scope of the arson attacks has decreased significantly over the past 24 hours.

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