BICOM

What happened: 12 soldiers from the Israel Defence Forces Golani Brigade were injured in a car ramming attack in Jerusalem last night – one of them severely, although his injuries are not life threatening. The attack was one of a series of violent incidents yesterday on three fronts in Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

• In the West Bank city of Jenin, IDF troops came under sniper fire while conducting a house demolition operation at the home of an individual who carried out a terrorist attack. Returning fire, Israeli soldiers killed one Palestinian man and reportedly injured six others. Improvised explosive devices and Molotov cocktails were also deployed during violent riots, with one Palestinian Authority policeman injured. It remains unclear whether the policeman fired on Israeli forces or was caught in the crossfire.
• Yesterday afternoon, a Palestinian man was killed by IDF fire during clashes in Hebron as he was about to throw a Molotov cocktail at Israeli soldiers.
• In the Gaza Strip, three mortars were fired last night at southern Israel. In response IDF airstrikes overnight targeted Hamas military facilities, including a logistics site and underground bunkers. The IDF said Hamas was involved in the attacks and facilitating mortar fire against Israel.

Context: The increase in violence took place a week after the publication of the US plan for Israel and the Palestinians, although the incidents are at present believed to be localised and disparate.

• Rocket fire and explosive balloon launches from Gaza have increased in the past month, with at least 14 projectiles fired in the last week  – despite ongoing indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas that were thought to be moving forward.
• The Gaza escalation began after Hamas political chief Ismael Haniyeh travelled to Iran for the funeral of Qassem Soleimani in early January. Angered by the visit, Egypt began restricting the entry of goods into Gaza, causing an increase in prices for basic commodities like cooking gas.
• Additional factors likely contributing to the rocket fire include, from Hamas’ point of view, the slow progress of the ceasefire “arrangement,” Israel’s clear reluctance to embark on a major military offensive so close to the 2 March election, and pressure from more extreme groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• In response, Israel has reduced the Gaza fishing zone from 15 to 10 nautical miles, suspended the entry of cement into Gaza, and reduced work permits for Gazan labourers in Israel by 500.
• In the West Bank, the IDF admitted that sniper fire against its forces during an operation in a Palestinian city had not happened for a very long time.

Looking ahead: Israeli security and intelligence forces have already located the vehicle used in the Jerusalem car ramming attack abandoned in Bethlehem, in the West Bank. A manhunt is still underway to locate the perpetrator.

• Investigations are ongoing to determine whether the injured PA policeman was involved in the clashes in Jenin, or was simply a bystander.
• Initial reports indicate that the Palestinian killed may have been a student at a Palestinian military academy.
• Israeli politicians from both the right and left are threatening a major military response if rocket and balloon fire from Gaza does not cease.