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Israel’s Lapid scores political points with Gaza operation

Israel's brief operation in Gaza was a military success, but credit to Prime Minister Yair Lapid for it is unlikely to win him the election.
Yesh Atid rally

Following press reports that Israel and Islamic Jihad had agreed to a cease-fire with the help of Egyptian mediators, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a brief statement Aug. 7, “A short time ago, I finished assessing the situation from the Defense Ministry's Tel Aviv headquarters. The discussion included a briefing on Operation Breaking Dawn’s moves these last 24 hours,  as well as security and civilian assessments for the coming days.”

According to the IDF, 35 Palestinians were killed by Israeli army fire during the operation, including 11 civilians. It also said the failed launching of Islamic Jihad rockets caused the death of at least 15 Palestinians. Palestinian reports said 44 civilians were killed. On the Israeli side, 47 people were transported to hospitals, mostly for light injuries. The end of the fire exchange came as a relief to both populations.  

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