Gaza developments portend military escalation with Israel
Israel's political impasse is expected to affect the Palestinians' situation in the Gaza Strip, and Israeli intelligence believes new military confrontations will erupt as the security and humanitarian situation there continues to deteriorate.
It took only two weeks for the first exchange of fire of 2020 between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The confrontation came Jan. 15, just one day after the Israel Defense Forces released its annual intelligence assessment, which — to no one's surprise — did not rule out the potential for short rounds of confrontation with the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas targets the evening of Jan. 15, after four rockets were launched from Gaza toward settlements in southern Israel. No Palestinian or Israeli casualties were recorded.
In response to Israel's retaliation, the so-called night confusion units of the Palestinian resistance factions resumed their activities Jan. 19 near the eastern border. Several Palestinians launched dozens of explosive devices and booby-trapped balloons toward the Israeli army and settlements there.
