Operation "Breaking Dawn":
- On August 5, 2022, Israel launched a surprise 55-hour offensive against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza, code-named “Breaking Dawn.”
- At least 44 Palestinians were killed during the three-day fighting, a third of which were children.
- Israel reports that it attacked 170 PIJ targets and that 1,100 rockets were fired into Israel.
- The Israeli attacks followed four tense days that saw heightened alertness in the areas surrounding Gaza Strip, after Israel arrested PIJ senior leader Bassam al-Saadi in the occupied West Bank.
- Israel cites the operation was provoked by “imminent threat of attack against Israeli civilians posed by the Islamic Jihad.”
- During the operation, Israel successfully targeted numerous senior PIJ leaders, killing its commanders in the north and the south, Taysir al-Jabari and Khaled Mansour respectively.
- The Islamic Jahid responded with hundreds of rockets, most of which did not hit target due to interceptions by Israeli defense.
- Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, refrained from joining the fighting, although it offered rhetorical support for the PIJ.
Ceasefire:
- On August 7, 2022, Israel and the PIJ agreed to an Egypt-brokered ceasefire, ending the most significant fighting between Israel and Gaza militant groups since May 2021; the ceasefire appears to hold.
- The PIJ declared that Israel will release al-Saadi as part of the truce, but Israeli sources denied this.
- In a joint statement concluding the operation, Defense Minister Gantz and Prime Minister Lapid thanked Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire and vowed to launch future pre-emptive strikes whenever necessary.
International Responses:
- Upon the operation launch, US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides reaffirmed US support for Israeli security operations.
- Following the ceasefire announcement, Biden welcomed the truce and reiterated US support for Israel’s “right to defend itself against attacks.”
- UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland expressed concern about civilian casualties, and later welcomed the ceasefire.
- Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Major General Salami promised that “the Israelis will pay yet another heavy price for their recent crime.”
August 2022
Three-Day Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad