GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Gaza Strip has witnessed, since the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, a complete calm, especially in relation to Israel, as the launch of incendiary balloons and rockets into Israeli towns has ceased.
The tension along the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel has persisted over several months amid mutual accusations related to the implementation of the truce recently reached under Egyptian auspices.
Since the beginning of 2020, the Gaza Strip has experienced repeated military escalations between the Palestinian resistance factions and Israel, the last and most dangerous of which took place Feb. 23, after the Israeli army killed an Islamic Jihad militant and dragged his body with a military bulldozer on the security fence in the town of Khuzaa, in southern Gaza.
In response to this incident, al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad’s military arm, and other factions, launched approximately 60 rockets at Israeli towns. Israel then launched raids targeting militants and training fields in the Gaza Strip, killing and wounding Palestinians.
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