Palestinian Islamic Jihad has conveyed through Egyptian intermediaries that it wants a ceasefire with Israel to end the latest round of violence that erupted on Tuesday morning.
U.S. and Qatari officials are also reportedly involved in seeking to restore calm to the area.
Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip unleashed several barrages of rockets at Israel on Wednesday afternoon, breaking a tense day-long calm following the IDF’s targeted killing of three top PIJ members.
Warning sirens sounded across communities near the Gaza border, as well as in Ashkelon, Ashdod and the greater Tel Aviv area.
Terrorists fired some 300 projectiles in several salvos, according to the military.
In response, Israel Air Force jets struck PIJ rocket infrastructure across the Strip. The military said that it hit 108 Palestinian terror assets.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday night said that he had authorized the targeted killings after scores of rockets were fired at Israel last week. The IDF identified the targets as Khalil Bahitini, PIJ’s commander in northern Gaza; Jahed Ahnam, a senior member of the terror group’s “military” council; and Tarek Azaldin, who directed its activities in Judea and Samaria.
“Israel’s policy is clear: Those who seek to harm Israel will be harmed. Those who kill our citizens will pay a heavy price. And those who fire on our cities and civilians will be held responsible for their actions,” Netanyahu said.
