Operation Pillar of Cloud, an Israel Defense Forces operation in the Gaza Strip, was officially began on Wednesday with the targeted killing of Ahmed al-Jabari, a Hamas military commander, according to Slate.
As of Nov. 16, Israeli forces continued to bomb targets in the Gaza Strip in an attempt to stop the rockets being launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip. Several counter attacks have happened since the start of the conflict.
Just before 10 a.m. Friday, an IDF spokesperson released a tweet saying “During Operation Pillar of Defense, IDF has targeted 600 terror sites in Gaza, including underground rocket launchers & infrastructure.” At 2:30 p.m. Nov. 16, the Huffington Post World reported the Palestinian death toll at 27 confirmed, while the Israeli death toll was at three. Since the beginning of the strike Israeli forces have been consistently attacking suspected rocket launching sites with air strikes. According to the Huffington Post Hamas has fired more than 450 rockets towards Israel.
The associated press reported on Friday that the Israeli military called 16,000 reservists that indicate an increased preparation for a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip. Air raid sirens have also sounded in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, some of which have not been heard in more than a decade. As of 5 p.m. Nov. 16, reports from several news sources have confirmed continued airstrikes and rocket attacks in the Gaza Strip.
