Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Air Force.
On May 11, the death toll from the Israeli operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip reached 31.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched the operation, codenamed Shield and Arrow, early on May 9 in response to a series of rocket attacks that targeted settlements around Gaza a week earlier. At least 215 positions of the PIJ have been struck since the start of the operation, according to the military.
Health officials said that the strikes claimed the lives of 31, including three women and six children. The casualties included five senior commanders of the PIJ, three of whom were assassinated in the very first minute of the IDF operation.
The IDF said that the PIJ and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza had launched 866 rockets and mortar shells at Israel since the start of the operation. The rocket fire has reached as far as the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv.
At Least 672 of the projectiles crossed the border, while 163 fell short in Gaza. The Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems intercepted 260 of the rockets, marking an alleged 91% interception rate of projectiles heading for populated areas.
Israel’s Magen David Adom ambulance service said that the rocket attacks killed an Israeli and wounded five others. 16 more were wounded after falling while running to shelter, while 29 others were treated for severe anxiety.
IDF strikes and Palestinian rocket attacks slowed down on May 11 morning, with reports of a near ceasefire between the two sides.
Reports in Hebrew and Arab media indicated that ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian mediation were renewed overnight after appearing earlier to collapse. Egyptian mediators were said to be optimistic about the chances of achieving a ceasefire.
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