West Bank
During a July 22nd raid to arrest an unnamed suspect in the West Bank town of Bruqin, Israeli forces shot and killed Mohammed Alawneh, a 19-year-old Palestinian. According to an Israeli military spokesperson, the Palestinian teen was part of a “violent riot” that confronted security forces at the scene.
On July 29th, the car of Hamas leader Wasfi Qabaha was firebombed in Jenin’s residential al-Basatin neighborhood. Hamas has blamed its rival Fatah, but no suspects have been identified.
Jewish extremists reportedly set two homes on fire in the West Bank village of Duma on July 31st, killing a Palestinian infant. Israel deployed four armored and tank battalions to the West Bank to prevent further unrest while Hamas called for a “day of rage” following the terrorist attack. Laith al-Khaldi, a Palestinian teenager, was shot and killed at a demonstration against the arson attack after he threw a firebomb at security forces.
Mourners carry the body of Palestinian Laith al-Khaldi, during his funeral procession near the West Bank city of Ramallah on Aug. 1, 2015. (Photo: AP) |
Jerusalem
Sixteen-year-old Shira Banki, one of six victims stabbed at a July 28th Gay Pride march in Jerusalem, died at Ein Karem hospital. Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Aryeh Stern visited the victims of the attacks, calling them “totally contrary to the Torah.” Yishai Schlissel, an ultra-Orthodox Jew, will stand trial for the stabbings, committed only a few weeks after he was released from prison for a similar attack.
Sinai
The Egyptian army killed 88 suspected militants in North Sinai between July 20 and July 31st.
Seventeen Sudanese citizens attempted to cross Sinai’s border into Israel, but were stopped by the Egyptian military, according to a government statement released on July 22nd.
Following a series of high profile attacks undertaken by the Sinai Province, a local Islamic State-affiliated, Egyptian forces believe that the group is getting help from Turkey to facilitate their operations. Cairo sees Turkish support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas as detrimental, given their links with Sinai insurgents.
On July 25th, the Egyptian government announced that it would extend a state of emergency, including an evening curfew, in Sinai for three months following insurgent attacks. The state of emergency has been enforced since October.
An August 1st shootout between Selim Suleiman al-Haram, a high ranking member of the Sinai Province, and Egyptian security forces resulted in the death of the extremist group’s leader.
A roadside bomb killed four troops on July 23rd as they were searching for militants near the village of el-Mahdiya. State of Sinai took responsibility for the attack.
According to Hebrew Radio, 11 Salafist activists used tunnels under Rafah to escape Gaza and enter Sinai. Salafists and Hamas are currently at odds over the imprisonment of Salafist activists and the confiscation of their weapons.
Gaza
The IDF’s Southern Command announced that a new radar system being installed would improve the 3-5 second warning time for incoming rockets up to approximately 15 seconds.
On July 28th, a senior Hamas official claimed that Iran’s funding of Hamas has “dried up,” following an ideological disagreement.
Hamas is training Gazan kids in terrorist tactics at their summer camp. (Photo: IDF Blog) |
Hamas’ military wing opened up its summer camp on July 25th, training 25,000 children and teens how to fight for the terrorist organization. The al-Qassam Brigades stated that the camp will help further their efforts towards “liberation.”
Two rockets launched from Gaza landed near the Israeli border fence on August 1st. Israeli security forces are investigating the area.
Syria and Lebanon
Unknown fighters in Syria fired two mortars across the border with Israel and into the Golan Heights on August 3rd. The shells landed in a open area without any incident but the IDF doesn’t know if the mortars were deliberate or accidental.
Israeli media reported that an IDF airstrike killed three Hezbollah fighters, including convicted Druze terrorist Samir Kuntar, and two other pro-Assad fighters traveling in a car near a government held village on July 29th. A separate explosion on the same day wounded seven people at a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine base in the town of Qusaya in eastern Lebanon.
The IDF has redeployed Iron Dome missile defense batteries to northern Israel in preparation for any confrontation with Hezbollah. Col. Yoni Saada Marom, commander of Israel’s Active Defense Air Wing, admits that Hezbollah’s rocket infrastructure is more formidable than those previously faced by Iron Dome, but drills have prepared soldiers on “concepts of operation” to respond to simultaneous attacks.
