Overview

Mohammed Abu al-Atta is a Gaza-based senior operative of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and a senior leader of PIJ’s rocket division.Tovah Lazaroff, Khaled Abu Toameh, and Yonah Jeremy Bob, “IDF strikes Hamas posts in Gaza in response to renewed rocket fire,” Jerusalem Post, last updated May 14, 2023, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742947; “Rocket fire resumes after overnight lull as fighting in Gaza enters 5th day,” Ynet News, May 13, 2023, https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryarly3e2.

On May 9, 2023, Israel launched Operation Shield and Arrow against PIJ in Gaza in response to more than 100 rockets PIJ fired the week before. Airstrikes killed PIJ commanders Jihad Ghannam, Tareq Izzeldeen, and Khalil Al-Bahtini in Gaza.Nidal Al-Mughrabi, “Israel kills three Islamic Jihad leaders, 10 civilians in Gaza,” Reuters, May 9, 2023, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israeli-jets-strike-islamic-jihad-targets-gaza-military-2023-05-08/; Yaakov Lapin, “‘Operation Shield and Arrow’ seeks to re-establish Israeli deterrence,” Jewish News Syndicate, May 9, 2023, https://www.jns.org/operation-shield-and-arrow-seeks-to-reestablish-israeli-deterrence/. PIJ responded by firing hundreds of rockets toward Israeli population centers, while Israel targeted PIJ leadership and infrastructure in Gaza. On May 13, Israel targeted Atta’s Gaza apartment building. Atta had reportedly left the building earlier to seek refuge in a hospital. According to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Atta used the apartment building as his operational headquarters. Israel had previously targeted and killed his brother, PIJ operative Bahaa Abu al-Atta, in November 2019.Tovah Lazaroff, Khaled Abu Toameh, and Yonah Jeremy Bob, “IDF strikes Hamas posts in Gaza in response to renewed rocket fire,” Jerusalem Post, last updated May 14, 2023, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742947. According to the IDF, Bahaa Abu al-Atta was known for taking refuge in Gaza’s al-Shifa Hospital and continuing to run terrorist operations while using the hospital as a shield.“Rocket fire resumes after overnight lull as fighting in Gaza enters 5th day,” Ynet News, May 13, 2023, https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryarly3e2.

Following the attack on Atta’s building, PIJ continued to fire dozens of rockets until an Egypt-negotiated ceasefire went into effect at 10 p.m. that night.Tovah Lazaroff, Khaled Abu Toameh, and Yonah Jeremy Bob, “IDF strikes Hamas posts in Gaza in response to renewed rocket fire,” Jerusalem Post, last updated May 14, 2023, https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-742947; Fares Akram and Josef Federman, “Israel and Islamic Jihad agree on cease-fire to end 5 days of fighting,” Associated Press, May 14, 2023, https://apnews.com/article/palestinians-israel-gaza-conflict-militants-rockets-airstrikes-a495136841d4d74af008f5eb3a401066.