Explained: The ongoing violence in Gaza between Israel and Palestine | Explained News,The Indian Express
This isn't the first time Israel has killed leaders of Islamic Jihad, a militant group vastly outnumbered by the ruling Hamas, in the Gaza Strip.
Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip were exchanging fire Saturday, in the worst bout of cross-border violence since an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas last year. Israeli airstrikes have killed 11 people, including a senior commander from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed militant group, who was slain in a targeted attack.
Israel has carried out several deadly airstrikes, among them the targeted killing of a senior commander from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, an Iran-backed militant group. Militants have fired dozens of rockets at Israeli cities and towns, disrupting life for tens of thousands of people. Here’s a look at the latest round of violence.
In Hamas’s Shadow
Islamic Jihad is the smaller of the two main Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip and is vastly outnumbered by the ruling Hamas group. But it enjoys direct financial and military backing from Iran and has become the driving force in engaging in rocket attacks and other confrontations with Israel.
Hamas, which seized control of Gaza in 2007 from the internationally recognised Palestinian Authority, is often limited in its ability to act because it bears responsibility for running the day-to-day affairs of the impoverished territory. Islamic Jihad has no such duties and has emerged as the more militant faction, occasionally even undermining Hamas’ authority.
Rating: 5