Following the launch of Operation Shield and Arrow on Tuesday in which Israel killed 3 Palestinian Islamic Jihad Commanders in a series of attacks in the Gaza Strip, Iran is exerting "heavy pressure" on Hamas to respond, according to Iran International, a news outlet associated with the Iranian opposition.
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Meanwhile, preparations continue in Israel for an expected response from the Islamic Jihad for the targeted killing of the organization's top three operatives overnight.
Initially, it was believed that the terrorist organization would respond immediately with rocket fire toward Israel. However, recent updates suggest that the response will likely take place later on Tuesday.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also instructed the military to be ready to strike at any Palestinian group preparing to launch rockets at Israel.
Gallant held a situation assessment Tuesday afternoon, his second of the day after another meeting in the morning including IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Mossad head David Barnea, and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar. The security cabinet also convened later on Tuesday for further discussions.
According to the Iran International report, Tehran's pressure is causing a rift within Hamas’ leadership. On the one hand, Hamas leaders in Gaza are aware of the toll Gaza’s civilians and economy would pay in the event of a confrontation with Israel, and the possibility of becoming targets themselves.
Furthermore, they don’t wish for Gaza’s population to pay the price of the actions of the Islamic Jihad.
On the other hand, Hamas leaders outside Gaza, including Saleh al-Arouri who supports cooperation with Iran and is pushing for the establishment of a defensive alliance between all Iranian proxies, are pressuring their home base to join the expected rocket fire.
Following the strike, Israel had communicated to Hamas that the operation targeted Islamic Jihad solely. A senior security official said that while a response to the strike is likely, Israel doesn’t wish for the situation to escalate any further.
“Hamas has no desire in joining Islamic Jihad. It doesn’t want to sacrifice the lives of its own people for an organization backed by Iran and stands against Hamas’ interests,” the official said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the military wing of Hamas, Abu Hamza, denounced the attack as an "inhumane crime" and vowed to continue the path taken by the fallen leaders, which he claimed would ultimately lead to "the downfall of the enemy and its commanders."
He further called on the public to support the resistance and "oppose the Zionists", indicating a potential escalation in the future.
The strike targeted PIJ commanders Khalil Bahtini, the Islamic Jihad commander for the northern Gaza Strip; Tareq Izzeldeen, the group's intermediary between its Gaza and West Bank arms; and Jehad Ghanam, the secretary of the Islamic Jihad's military council. According to Palestinian reports, the targets’ family members were also killed in the attack.