Three-Day Conflict Between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad

(August 2022)

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.”