Home Front Command relaxes restrictions after ceasefire

The Home Front Command relaxed restrictions on southern Israel on Saturday night two hours after a ceasefire between the Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Israel reportedly took effect.

According to the new guidelines, gatherings in open areas of more than 10 people and in buildings of more than 100 people will be banned in communities near the Gaza border from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Additionally, in that time period, only workplaces with a shelter nearby will be able to open and classes will only take place within shelters.

"The operation tonight happened after I talked about targeted assassinations and bringing back [military] might. We have a stake in this operation [Operation Shield and Arrow] but I am not looking for credit. From now on I want offensive initiative," National Security Minister MK Itamar Ben-Gvir said on Tuesday during a security conference hosted by Israel Hayom.

Ben-Gvir added that Israel must "strive to engage and overcome the enemy."

The Otzma Yehudit Party ended its boycott of cabinet and Knesset activity, after the IDF assassinated a number of senior terrorists in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist movement in airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning, declaring the launch of Operation Shield and Arrow, the party announced in a statement on Tuesday.

IDF aircraft on Tuesday early evening struck a Gaza rocket crew on its way to fire on Israel.

The airstrike, part of Operation Sheild and Arrow, occurred near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Pictures and reports on social media indicated that the crew was struck while traveling in a car.

Photos of a destroyed car were posted on social media, including estimates that two Palestinians, members of the crew, were killed. 

הפלסטינים פרסמו תיעוד של מכונית שהופגזה בידי צה"ל | עדכונים שוטפים >>> https://t.co/w1gG7pENRg@GalAharonovich pic.twitter.com/YHBWsqwgrf

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) May 9, 2023

In a statement, the Lebanon-based terrorist organization Hezbollah voiced its support and solidarity with Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as with their actions to deter Israel.

"Eliminating [Palestinian Islamic Jihad] leaders will increase unity and determination to continue the fight until victory is achieved," Hezbollah said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told senior advisers to US President Joe Biden that an operation in Gaza might be on the agenda in their meeting the day before launching Operation Shield and Arrow on Tuesday.

In his meeting with White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk and Special Presidential Coordinator for Global Infrastructure and Energy Security Amos Hochstein on Monday, Netanyahu made vague reference to a planned response to recent rockets from Gaza, but did not tell them when it would happen, a diplomatic source said, confirming a report by KAN News.

McGurk and Hocstein responded supportively, the source said.

Netanyahu also spoke with US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides on Monday, ahead of the operation, but did not tell him about it.

Despite planning their big day for over a year, the ongoing security situation in Israel has forced Lilian Yondov and Eliav Levy, who have been together for eight years, to postpone their wedding.

The couple's wedding was scheduled to take place on Tuesday night, at a hall in their hometown of Ofakim, near the Gaza border. However, in light of the IDF operation in Gaza and directives from the Home Front Command, they were informed that their wedding had been canceled.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had issued instructions regarding the overnight airstrikes in Gaza last week on Tuesday, 

The IDF and Shin Bet has been ready for an operation with Gaza since Tuesday last week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant confirmed on Tuesday afternoon, hours after the IDF launched Operation Shield and Arrow.

"The IDF and Shin Bet carried out a precise and successful operation against the leadership of the Islamic Jihad organization in the Gaza Strip last night," he said in a meeting with council leaders and officials in southern Israel. "We will not tolerate shooting that threatens the residents of Israel, this is not only an act of terrorism, but a challenge to our presence."

Several Palestinian armed groups, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and Hamas warned that Israel will pay a heavy price for the targeted killing of three senior PIJ officials in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.

The Palestinian Authority, meanwhile, denounced the Israeli operation as a “horrific massacre.”

At least 13 Palestinians, including the top PIJ officials, were killed in the pre-dawn Israeli airstrikes, Palestinian sources said, adding that another 20 people were injured.

In a first response, PIJ said in a statement that it “holds the Zionist enemy fully responsible for this heinous terrorist massacre that crossed all lines and constituted a serious violation of the ceasefire.”

Operation Shield and Arrow may be the first test for Iran’s ‘unity of fronts’ project, which is designed to ring Israel with threats and cause Israel to collapse internally. Iran has been working on this project for years but has recently increased its messaging about how it believes Israel’s internal political squabbles make Israel a ripe target.

Iran’s messaging in this regard includes claims that Iran will continue to work on the “unity” of various proxies and groups it works with. 

In Tehran’s view, it has achieved great success in Syria, helping the Syrian regime normalize with the Arab League. Iran sent its president to Syria recently. Iran has also continued to transfer arms to Syria via Aleppo in the wake of the February earthquake. Iran has also continued to operationalize groups and threats in Syria. It flew a drone into Israeli airspace in early April. It also encouraged the small Palestinian group Liwa al-Quds to fire rockets at Israel over Passover.