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IDF footage shows ‘beyond doubt’ that misfired Islamic Jihad rocket killed children in Gaza

The Israeli military says some 180 projectiles launched by PIJ fell short in Gaza, killing at least nine people • “All fire by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is a double war crime: It is shooting at civilians, and using Gazan civilians as human shields,” says the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office.

Rockets fired by Islamic Jihad towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, Aug. 5, 2022. Photo by Attia Muhammed/Flash90.
Rockets fired by Islamic Jihad towards Israel from the Gaza Strip, Aug. 5, 2022. Photo by Attia Muhammed/Flash90.

The Israel Defense Forces on Saturday night released footage it claims shows a Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket misfiring and causing an explosion in a residential area of Jabalya that reportedly killed numerous people, including four children.

As of Sunday evening, terrorists from Gaza had fired some 1,000 projectiles towards the Jewish state since the IDF launched “Operation Breaking Dawn” on Friday afternoon.

About 160 of these rockets fell short in Gaza, killing at least nine people, according to the IDF.

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PIJ is experiencing an average of 20% misfired rockets, according to the military.

The Public Diplomacy Directorate in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office released a statement countering reports that the event in Jabalya was the result of Israeli military activity.

“We have in our possession videos that prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that this incident was not the result of an Israel Defense Forces strike,” said the statement, adding, “It has been irrefutably proven that this ... was the result of the misfiring of a rocket launched by Islamic Jihad. All fire by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization is a double war crime: It is shooting at civilians, and using Gazan civilians as human shields.”

A spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid similarly confirmed that there was no Israeli activity near Jabalya at the time of the incident.

“Islamic Jihad is killing Palestinian children in Gaza. One in four rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel lands inside the Gaza Strip. Iran’s proxies, including Islamic Jihad, have a long history of hiding behind civilians to target Israeli civilians,” the spokeswoman continued. “The world should be outraged at this terrorist group targeting innocent Israelis and killing innocent Gazans.”

The Berkeley project “has a record of promoting anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas,” Oleg Ivanov, of StandWithUs, told JNS. “We are deeply concerned that the same thing will happen in this training.”
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