For the second time in recent months, Hamas has let the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) go at it alone in a confrontation with Israel, as Hamas leaders try to maintain a balance between showing support for the faction and seeking longer-term benefits for the Gaza Strip.
Israel and the PIJ engaged in a new round of military escalation Feb. 23-24. The violence broke out after the Israeli army shot dead Mohammad al-Naem, a PIJ member in eastern Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip, claiming he attempted to plant a bomb at the border fence. A graphic video that circulated among Palestinians showed an Israeli bulldozer lifting Naem’s body after he was killed, sparking outrage and calls for revenge.
A few hours later, the PIJ fired dozens of rockets on southern Israel without killing or wounding anyone. Israel responded by launching air raids on the movement’s locations in Gaza and Syria, and killed two of its members in Damascus.
Late Feb. 24 — after it launched 50 rockets and mortars on Israel — the PIJ announced the end of its response to the killing of its members in Damascus and Gaza.
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