The latest onslaught on Gaza shows the evolving conflict dynamics at play in Israel/Palestine. The absence of Hamas in this confrontation marked a notable change from previous wars, which have largely been driven by an escalatory logic of attacks between its military wing and the Israeli army.
Last week, Israeli forces arrested Islamic Jihad leader Bassam al-Saadi in Jenin, a city that has become central to resistance in Palestine and is effectively outside the security control of the Palestinian Authority. Days later, the Israeli army assassinated Tayseer al-Jabari, another Islamic Jihad leader, in Gaza and then began bombarding the territory in anticipation of retaliatory attacks.
After the highly destructive 2014 Gaza war, seven years of uneasy, relative calm had prevailed until war broke out in May 2021. Since then, the situation in Gaza has become increasingly volatile. Tensions over al-Aqsa Mosque have emerged as a conflict trigger, and the confrontation between Islamic Jihad and Israel marks another major flashpoint.....
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