An Israeli official claims that talks are underway to bring this conflict to an end; A report indicates that over 400 missiles in total have been fired from Gaza since Tuesday morning; As many as 24 deaths are reported in Gaza due to retaliatory strikes conducted by the IDF.
As of Wednesday morning, it is reported that talks of a ceasefire between Gaza & Israel are now on the horizon, but are yet to become a reality. Far from making a promise and remaining skeptical of the circumstances, the official stated that “things are happening all at the same time…this could end tonight, or tomorrow but can also slide into further escalations.” A representative from the Islamic jihad has stated, “We are not talking of mediation, it’s not appropriate to talk about it…When we complete our response that we want to send, it will be possible to talk about calming things down.”
In response to the words of the Islamic jihad official, Netanyahu countered, “We will not tolerate attacks on our citizens…In the last year, we accumulated a mass of these attacks. We are not bent on escalation, but that we would respond to every attack against us, and respond very sharply. Islamic Jihad would do well to understand this right now, instead of when it will be too late. I believe that Islamic Jihad is starting to internalize this message. They understand that we will continue to strike them without mercy. They understand that Israel is very strong and that our will is very great.” Additionally, the Defense Minister of Israel warned that any terrorist who intends to inflict violence upon Israeli citizens ‘will not survive the night’.
Since the assassination of Islamic jihad leader Bahaa Abu al-Ata on Tuesday morning, terrorists from inside of Gaza have fired over 400 rockets into Israel, with 50% of them landing in open territory. The Iron Dome currently has a 90% success rate when it comes to intercepting enemy projectiles throughout this conflict. In response, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) has carried out several retaliatory strikes in Gaza, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 jihadist militants.
Preemptively, the IDF has also positioned artillery resources around the border of Gaza, should tensions continue to escalate. Two different infantry battalions are reported to have been deployed as well.
