Photo by Attia Muhammed/Flash90
On August 5th, 2022, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of strikes targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization in Gaza. This military operation, which the IDF has called Breaking Dawn, came after days of PIJ threatening to bomb Israeli cities and towns. From August 5-7, PIJ and other terrorist groups fired nearly 1,100 mortars, rockets, and missiles at Israel, while the IDF said it hit roughly 170 PIJ targets in Gaza. Late at night on August 7th, a ceasefire was declared and continues to be in effect as of this writing.
Much of the information below is based on breaking news reports about this ongoing situation. We will update this backgrounder as additional facts and context become available.
What is Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ)?
PIJ is an internationally recognized terrorist organization . Its main areas of operation are Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and Syria. Backed by the Iranian and Syrian regimes, PIJ is the second-largest terrorist group in Gaza after Hamas , which rules the territory. PIJ seeks Israel’s destruction and is directly responsible for murdering many innocent Israeli civilians through suicide bombings, rocketfire, shootings, and other attacks.
Facts and context about the current round of violence:
We hope this round of violence has come to an end, for the sake of Israelis and Palestinians alike.
