When Israel carried out airstrikes on three Islamic Jihad commanders this week, it appeared that a major conflict was imminent. israel called operation shield and arrow, When Israel gives a name to an operation, it has to be significant. Furthermore, years of tension with Islamic Jihad have taught us that the group is a serious threat. It has thousands of missiles, some of them long-range, and it is ready to use them.
In fact, attack on islamic jihad Brought back memories of other smaller conflicts on the Gaza border. For a day Jihad appeared dazed and stunned by the injuries he had received, and did not react. This gave residents around the Gaza Strip plenty of time to prepare. Smaller communities sent their children away, and schools were closed in areas around Gaza. It extended dozens of kilometers into Israel. Jihad was expected to shower rockets in the south.
One day without any reaction, the next day there was a slight haze in the air. It was May 10 and Israel continued to try to clamp down on jihadist activities. There were concerns about a terrorist group bringing anti-tank missiles called “Nun-tet” in Hebrew. It appeared that an attempt was made by Israel to attack the group as it deployed its rocket launchers. This was different from May 2021 when Hamas fired massive rockets. It appears that Hamas was well prepared for the conflict, whereas Jihad may not have been.
As I moved south to cover the battle, the general’s footsteps unfolded. You’ve got your bag for the day, an extra shirt in case it gets hot, an armored helmet, binoculars, a big bottle of water, because you might get stuck somewhere, or your car breaks down, or who knows. That’s what will happen. Then you start the drive from Jerusalem. I’ve driven this car so many times since 2009 to cover the wars on the Gaza border that the car could drive itself. But it’s not Tesla, and it doesn’t have AI, so I can’t just tell it, “Take me into battle.”
driving to gaza
As you leave Jerusalem, going down Highway 1, you pass memories of the 1948 war when Jerusalem was under siege and Jewish fighters had to use small armored cars to try to reach Sha’ar HaGai Can be done It goes up. So we are turning history upside down. We leave behind 1948 and the warrior fortress at Castel and head to Gaza to see war in the 21st century.
Israel has been fighting terrorist groups in Gaza for a long time, and both sides generally know how this is going to work. The groups have rockets and anti-tank missiles and some naval commandos, but their movements will generally be scrutinized by the IDF. All they can do is fire rockets and harass Israeli communities, forcing people into shelters and armored rooms.
As I drove south, the roads became sparser with traffic. The mountainous country of the Shephela, the Piedmont of Israel, gives way to the coastal plain. It was in these hills that the Jews of the time of the Judges fought the Philistines. Samson’s cave is here near Beit Shemesh. Further south, as one approaches the Gaza border, there is a significant fork in the road. Highway 3 splits from Highway 1 at Latron, the site of the famous 1948 Civil War battle. Highway 3 connects to Highway 40 and then continues toward Ashkelon. On the way you can go to Sadrot by Route 232.
Israel closed roads around Gaza in anticipation of rocket fire, so you can go to Ashkelon or Sadrot, but you can’t drive to the border between the two. I chose to go to Ashkelon.
Sadrot has fired thousands of rockets at the community since Israel left Gaza. In olden days Sridot was a frontline community in this regard. Terrorist groups did not have long-range rockets. But then, after 2009, the limits went up and Israel’s Iron Dome went into operation. Terrorist groups changed their strategy to attack Ashkelon and Tel Aviv.
As I got closer to Ashkelon, the landscape of deserted roads became clear. The radio included an interview with a woman in Nativ Hasara, a community that sits on the Gaza border south of Ashkelon. She was in her shelter. The children were sent away.
I walked down from there, getting as close as I could to the border, using some back roads that were off the main road, which was blocked off to traffic. There are agricultural areas and some trucks that still have to be hauled back and forth to construction sites. There is no shelter on the road, and no sirens can be heard either. So the only guide to help you know if there is rocket fire, radio, or Gaza is to look and see the smoke trails.
when the rockets started
When the rockets began on 10 May, they represented an early response to Islamic Jihad. It fired 100 rockets an hour, first at Sderot and then at Ashkelon and then onward. The familiar sound of the Iron Dome interceptor exploding skyward was audible.
In Ashkelon the city was deserted, and people were staying at home. The IDF Home Front Command and the municipality did a good job anticipating what might happen next. This sense of normalcy was palpable. War is normal, but the situation is abnormal. Talk of a ceasefire began almost immediately, but no one believed it would come into force.
These smaller operations have become more frequent and smaller. No more months of fighting or ground operations in Gaza. It’s not like 2014 when fields were decorated with tanks churning out melons that would otherwise have been an agricultural bounty. We have learned a lot since 2014. But we have also reached the point where we wage endless battles against groups like Jihad and are perhaps losing sight of the forest for the trees.
We can fight through conflicts with relative ease, but millions of people still see their lives disrupted. People should not gather, children miss birthday parties or other events. And even though rockets falling on civilian areas are rare, because of Iron Dome it does happen, and everyone should be on their guard.
Is Islamic Jihad Scared? What has Hezbollah learned from this recent period? For those of us who have become used to this choreographed method of struggle, it is shocking to see and realize that it is not normal for millions of people to be confined in their bomb shelters for days at a time.
Sometimes being out in the fields, watching rockets launch in front of you and the Iron Dome interceptor screaming skyward behind you is more reassuring than being under the wailing sound of sirens that make one shudder with momentary fright. It shouldn’t be a norm. But it is.