Islamic Jihad rally
Islamic Jihad rallyIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Fearing Israeli retribution for missile attacks on Ashkelon and Eilat, Gaza terror gang Islamic Jihad has joined Hamas in denying any connection to the attacks.

A senior Islamic Jihad terrorist who goes by the honorific 'Abu Ahmed' told London-based Al-Sharq al-Awsat Israel has been making threats against the Gaza-based groups and that it may decide to act upon them. He speculated that the Jewish state could carry out targeted killings and attacks upon predetermined targets, in order to ease the pressure it has been under since the Turkish flotilla incident.

He also did not rule out the possibility that Israel would launch another war in Gaza, but emphasized that the terror organizations had also learned tactical lessons from the Cast Lead operation and and improved their deployment.

Abu Ahmed denied his group had launched the missiles at Eilat and said that Israel is behind the attack on itself. Islamic Jihad's strategy, he said, is based on “keeping the flame of the struggle burning only within Israeli territory,” and that it is making an effort to carry out suicide bombings from Judea and Samaria. The cooperation between Israel and Palestinian Authority forces is making this very difficult, he explained.

Abu Ahmed said that relations between Islamic Jihad and Hamas are good, but reality on the ground belied that statement last Thursday, when three terrorists – one from Islamic Jihad and two from Hamas – were wounded in a local firefight that began as a verbal confrontation. The Islamic Jihad man was taken prisoner by Hamas men who tortured him and then handed him over to the Hamas government police force. He was later seen at Shifa hospital, where he was being treated after being shot in both legs.