Tue., May 16 — Over 1,200 Rockets Fired at Israel as More Islamic Jihad’s Leaders Were Killed; Ceasefire Reached | VFI News

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Stay informed about the recent developments in the Gaza conflict as Islamic Jihad launches over 1,200 rockets at Israel, resulting in casualties and intercepted attacks. Learn about the Israeli airstrike targeting an Islamic Jihad military commander and its impact on the terror group. Discover the details of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad following days of intense violence. All this and more. Watch now!

The IDF released updated statistics Thursday, May 11, stating that 803 rockets had been fired at Israel as of 8 pm by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow. 

Later, it was reported that as of Saturday, May 13, at 4 p.m., 1,234 rockets were fired at Israel in total, 976 of which made it into Israeli territory. 

Thursday evening one person was killed and five people were injured when a rocket struck a residential building in the city of Rehovot. Also, red alert sirens were activated in the cities of Rishon Lezion, Holon, and Bat Yam in central Israel, however, the Iron Dome system intercepted the rockets fired at these cities, and there was no damage.

The IDF further stated that 620 rockets crossed into Israeli airspace on Thursday, while 152 rockets fell short in Gaza. 179 rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome and David's Sling missile defense systems. 

Since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow, 108 rocket launches by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization from the Gaza Strip toward Israel failed and fell short, exploding inside the Gaza Strip itself. 

Four uninvolved Gazan civilians, including a 10-year-old girl - Lynn Balal Ubed Elsalam Loch, Yazen Juda Alian, aged 16, Varami Shadi Hamdan, also aged 16, and Muhammad al-Shabaki, aged 51 from Beit Hanoun, have been killed inside the Gaza Strip as a result of failed rocket launches by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization, sources said.  (INN / VFI News)

“God, we pray for the families of those who have been lost during the attack against Israel and for those who are injured. May the latter experience a full recovery, peace, and comfort in the days to come. These incessant attacks prove the violent nature of our aggressors, so we ask for the protection of all Israeli citizens, as well as for the just punishment of the terrorists.”

The articles included in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Vision for Israel. We try to provide accurate reporting on news pertinent to Israel, the Middle East, the diaspora, and Jewish issues around the world—and we hope that you find it both informative and useful for intercessory prayer.

An Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a Palestinian Islamic Jihad military commander early Thursday morning, May 11, dealing another blow to the terror group in the latest round of hostilities. 

The predawn airstrike in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis killed Ali Ghali, the commander of Islamic Jihad’s rocket forces, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement. 

Ghali was hiding in a safe house at the time of the strike along with two other Islamic Jihad operatives who were also killed, the IDF said. 

“Ghali was responsible for directing and carrying out rocket fire at Israeli territory, including the recent barrages during Operation Shield and Arrow,” the IDF said.

“The strike was carried out thanks to successful intelligence, the identification of the hideout apartment, one floor where the operatives were struck — this was a very precise attack by the Air Force,” IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters on Thursday morning. 

Islamic Jihad confirmed Ghali’s death after the IDF’s early morning announcement. “Ali Ghali… commander of the rocket launch unit… was assassinated in the south of the Gaza Strip along with other martyrs,” read a statement from the Al-Quds Brigades, the armed branch of the group. 

The IDF said that it had struck 191 sites belonging to the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization in Gaza in response to the continued rocket fire. (TOI/VFI News)

“When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.” - Proverbs 21:15

Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist group reached a ceasefire deal on Saturday night, May 13, after five days of violence. 

National Security Council (NSC) director Tzachi Hanegbi, on instruction from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, thanked Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and expressed the appreciation of the State of Israel for Egypt’s intensive efforts to secure a ceasefire,” said a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem. 

“The NSC director made it clear that Israel’s acceptance of the Egyptian initiative means that ‘quiet will be met with quiet’, and that if Israel is attacked or threatened, it will continue to do everything that it needs to in order to defend itself,” added the statement. 

Tensions erupted on Tuesday morning, with the IDF’s targeted killing of three top PIJ members in the Gaza Strip. The IDF identified the targets as Khalil Bahitini, PIJ’s commander in northern Gaza; Jahed Ahnam, a senior member of the terror group’s “military” council; and Tarek Azaldin, who directed its activities in Judea and Samaria. 

On Thursday afternoon the Israel Air Force killed Ahmed Abu-Deka, a senior member of the PIJ rocket launching force. On Friday, an Israeli airstrike killed Iyad al-Hassani, the “most senior” Palestinian Islamic Jihad figure in the Strip. 

Israeli Inga Avramyan, 80, was killed when a rocket fired from Gaza struck a four-story building in Rehovot, 12 miles south of Tel Aviv on Thursday evening. It was the only Israeli fatality during “Operation Shield and Arrow.”  (I365N / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for enabling us to reach a ceasefire so that no more Israeli citizens will be endangered by terrorists. We pray that You will console the family of Inga Avramyan who was killed during the attacks and we hope that the cessation of hostilities will not be short-lived.“

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touted the recently completed Operation Shield and Arrow against Islamic Jihad terrorists in the Gaza Strip as being “perfect” in its execution, claiming the operation surprised the terrorist organization. 

Speaking at the weekly cabinet meeting Sunday, May 14, Netanyahu lauded Israeli security forces for the operation, which led to the elimination of six top Islamic Jihad terrorists and dozens of other members of the organization. 

“Last night, we successfully concluded five days of fighting against the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. Before starting the operation, the directive I gave, together with the Defense Minister, to the IDF and ISA amounted to two words: 'Initiative' and 'Surprise'.” 

“I congratulated the IDF Chief-of-Staff and the Director of the ISA yesterday also with two words: ' Well done.' Indeed, the operation was perfect. With complete surprise and continuous initiative, we targeted the entire Islamic Jihad leadership in Gaza. We destroyed 17 Jihad command centers. We eliminated dozens of terrorists. We hit rocket and missile arsenals, took out anti-tank units, etc.”

“For two months, since the establishment of the government, I have reiterated: Whoever harms us or even tries to harm us – will pay the price. Today, the enemies of Israel in Gaza and far beyond Gaza, know that even if they try to hide, we can, and we will, always reach them. This awareness was significantly strengthened during Operation Shield and Arrow. We changed the equation.” (INN / VFI News)

“You, Lord, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked.” - Psalm 12:7

For those living in Israel, rocket attacks from Gaza are not uncommon. But in the towns of Ofakim, Netivot, and others in the south of Israel, the lack of shelters remains a huge problem. Most of the residents don’t have access to bomb shelters or safe rooms. We have been urgently contacted to help provide lifesaving equipment designed for these emergencies—specifically: mobile shelters. Watch as we deliver them, along with the hope of a safer future for their communities.

Over the weekend, the Digital Research Division of the Im Tirtzu Zionist activist group monitored several profiles suspected of being operated by the Islamic Jihad terrorist organization and other suspicious profiles working to hack into the phones and computers of Israeli citizens by distributing malicious links. 

The activity was first identified in social media groups of residents of southern Israel and was later reported in groups affiliated with the national camp, current affairs groups, and more. Some profiles have been running for years and boast thousands of followers. 

Dov Trachtman, Head of Digital Research, said: "This is a particularly disturbing phenomenon. Trying to lure citizens into malicious links posing as lottery sites, vacation booking sites, sites for watching free sports, and especially dating sites."

"This has several purposes: First, access to personal information and access to bank accounts, social networks, or classified and sensitive information if soldiers or officials are involved. It is also possible that by operating cameras and microphones remotely, they will try to degrade people or even blackmail them into performing various actions."

"The recommendation is to always be suspicious of links from strangers, no matter if they have 100 friends or 15,000 followers. Keep antivirus software intact and, of course, report and warn others about any suspicious activity." (INN /VFI News)

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” - 1 Peter 5:8

US President Joe Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, spoke on Wednesday, May 10, with National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi to discuss the conflict in Gaza. 

A statement from the White House following the call said that “Sullivan reaffirmed the Administration’s ironclad support for Israel’s security, as well as its right to defend its people from indiscriminate rocket attacks.” 

“Sullivan also noted continued regional efforts to broker a ceasefire, and emphasized the need to deescalate tensions and prevent further loss of life,” the statement added. 

Later in the day, US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement voicing support for Israeli strikes in Gaza, in which top Islamic Jihad terrorists were eliminated. 

Former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who is seeking the Republican presidential nomination in 2024, also expressed support for Israel as it came under attack. 

“Israel is defending itself the same way America would defend ourselves if someone was shooting missiles at us,” tweeted Haley. “We will always have the backs of our friends,” she stressed. (INN / VFI News)

“God, we thank You for gifting us allies that are willing to defend Israel and speak out against terrorist actions and organizations. We hope that soon, more nations will fight for justice and ally themselves with us, in the hope of accomplishing peace in the Middle East.“

An NGO funded by the European Union and others has affirmed its support for an “armed struggle” against Israel. 

In a statement released Saturday night, May 13, the Gaza-based Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said it “affirms the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation by all available means, including armed struggle, all the way to achieve their legitimate rights, end the occupation and establish their independent state.” 

The Swiss government approved a $380,000 grant to PCHR for the years 2021-2024, requiring the NGO to sign a contract committing to “refrain from incitement to violence or hatred.”

The EU granted €475,000 to PCHR in 2022 for “promoting and protecting human rights.” The NGO, however, said, “Starting in 2020, PCHR will employ all its resources and energy in this trajectory,” referring to the International Criminal Court’s investigation of Israel for alleged war crimes. 

In addition, the government of Ireland approved an €81,000 grant to PCHR in 2021, while the government of Norway gave $680,000 to PCHR in 2019-2021. 

NGO Monitor vice president Olga Deutsch said: “PCHR is known for its biased positions on Israel. They have long maintained close ties to the terror group PFLP, and have been one of the leading voices working to criminalize Israel at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.” 

“This latest statement takes their activities outside the realm of political discourse, and openly incites to violence against Jews, and justifies terror,” she added. “The EU itself rules out any support for organizations [that] incite to violence, and we hope Brussels and other EU member states will act swiftly to cut their financial support to PCHR.” (JPost / VFI News)

“The bloodthirsty hate a person of integrity and seek to kill the upright.” - Proverbs 29:10

More than 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, and 60-80% have Alzheimer’s disease. Twice as many women as men have the disease, with one reason being that women live longer. 

Women with Alzheimer’s often experience negative side effects from drugs currently used to treat the disease, because they were developed using male animals and tested primarily on men. 

Israeli research combining molecular and computational neuroscience has uncovered a molecular basis for why women living with Alzheimer’s disease experience more rapid cognitive deterioration than men. 

A study, led by Prof. Hermona Soreq and Prof. Yonatan Loewenstein of the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, points to a correlation between this accelerated cognitive decline and depletion of mitochondrial RNA fragments in the nucleus accumbens part of the brain. 

Soreq looked at brain functions regulated by acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in memory, learning, attention, arousal, and involuntary muscle movement. Alzheimer’s is one of several medical conditions associated with low levels of acetylcholine, or the malfunctioning of the cholinergic pathway. 

“We bumped into the difference between men and women four years ago when we explored the differences in the pathway for acetylcholine in patients with mental disease and found massive differences between men and women,” Soreq said.

Soreq also told Israeli media that the study’s findings, together with other advances in RNA research and therapeutics, could lead to better treatments for women living with Alzheimer’s. With no known cure for the disease, the aim would be to significantly slow down its progression. (TOI /VFI News)

The suggestions, opinions, and scripture references made by VFI News writers and editors are based on the best information received.
 
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