PA daily editorial accuses Hamas and PIJ of cutting deals with Israel over rockets from Gaza
Editorial of the official PA daily
Headline: “Not just questions”
“Many questions arise from the latest round of escalation, which Israel sparked when it assassinated senior official of the Islamic Jihad Movement Baha Abu Al-Ata (i.e., terrorist, responsible for numerous attacks; terrorists in Gaza fired hundreds of rockets at Israel after his assassination). The first question is where is the arsenal of ‘the resistance,’ which Yahya Al-Sinwar (i.e., senior Hamas terrorist involved in murder of 2) boasted was the arsenal of a powerful country at the beginning of the month when he said that with it he could fight Israel for six consecutive months! How is it that not even one bullet of this arsenal was fired at the Israeli occupation forces, which continued as is its wont to act with aggression towards the Gaza Strip? …
It would be interesting to know what Hamas is waiting for in order to activate this arsenal, or are the ceasefire understandings that it signed with Israel what currently dictate Hamas’ policy and path? …
There are political analysts who have not ruled out the possibility that the latest round of escalation were preceded by understandings between Israel and Hamas, according to which Hamas will not intervene in the round. According to articles in Israeli papers, ‘senior Israeli security officials recommended to the political echelon to give Hamas economic and civil benefits,’ and this, of course, is because it has implemented these understandings and did not participate in the latest round of escalation! …
The most important question that arises from the latest round of escalation relates to the Islamic Jihad Movement. How, for example, did it not continue fighting after the massacre that the Israeli occupation jets committed against the Al-Sawarkeh family in the Deir Al-Balah [refugee camp] (refers to an airstrike meant to hit terror targets that accidentally killed 8 family members –Ed.), as if the family’s blood is not Palestinian blood, and therefore its criminal spilling is not worthy of any response!! Did the ‘ceasefire’ that it signed with Israel include similar benefits to those that the senior Israeli security officials recommended to their political echelon to give Hamas?
There is no resistance [movement] that can justify itself as long as it is incapable of defending its people and protecting their daily lives, and there is no resistance [movement] that signs ceasefire understandings, especially since these understandings – as was proven with Hamas’ policy – are understandings that protect only its activists and its existence!!”
Baha Abu Al-Ata – senior commander of the Islamic Jihad terror organization in Gaza who was responsible for most of the organization’s terror activity and planned numerous rocket, sniper, drone, and other attacks against Israel.Abu Al-Ata was assassinated in an Israeli targeted rocket strike on Nov. 12, 2019. In response to Israel’s assassination Palestinian Islamic Jihad fired over 450 rockets at Israel over a period of 48 hours until a ceasefire was reached on Nov. 14, 2019, which Islamic Jihad promptly breached by firing 5 more rockets.
Islamic Jihad rockets, November 2019: In response to Israel’s assassination of senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terror organization in Gaza Baha Abu Al-Ata in a targeted rocket strike on Nov. 12, 2019, PIJ fired over 450 rockets at Israel over a period of 48 hours until a ceasefire was reached on Nov. 14, 2019, which Islamic Jihad promptly breached by firing 5 more rockets.
Yahya Al-Sinwar - Palestinian terrorist and senior member of the Hamas terror organization. Al-Sinwar was involved in the kidnapping and murder of Israeli soldier Nachshon Wachsman in October 1994. Israeli soldier Nir Poraz was murdered during Israel's attempt to rescue Wachsman. Al-Sinwar was sentenced to 4 life sentences, but was released in the exchange deal for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011.