One Year Since Operation “Black Belt”
After a series of top-secret meetings between senior IDF commanders, Operation Black Belt commenced on November 12, 2019, when the IDF and the Israeli Security Agency carried out a surgical strike against Baha Abu al-Ata, a senior terrorist in the Islamic Jihad. The operation was an intelligence and operational achievement that continues to hinder the capabilities of Islamic Jihad today.
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Baha Abu al-Ata was the Commander of the Northern Sector and the Gaza City Division Commander of Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Abu al-Ata trained terror squads to infiltrate into Israel, to conduct sniper attacks and drone launches, and to fire rockets. He was also responsible for orchestrating most of the Islamic Jihad’s terror attacks—specifically from Gaza—against Israeli civilians and IDF troops in 2019 and was a ticking time bomb.
In the days leading up to his assassination, Abu al-Ata promoted immediate terror attacks in various ways from Gaza toward Israeli civilians and IDF troops. His elimination was a move by the IDF to bring stability to the region and to save lives.
In the 48 hours after Abu al-Ata’s elimination, Islamic Jihad terrorists incessantly fired over 450 rockets toward Israeli civilians. Their first targets were Israeli homes close to the Gaza Strip, and later they shifted their focus toward the center of Israel, where rockets even reached the city of Tel Aviv.
Commanders in the IDF discuss the first day of the operation (November 12, 2019) on November 13, 2019
The IDF responded immediately with a series of strikes on terror targets belonging to the Islamic Jihad organization throughout the Gaza Strip. In addition to eliminating Islamic Jihad rocket launch squads, terror outposts, observation posts, training complexes, underground weapons storage and manufacturing sites, a naval base and terror tunnels belonging to Islamic Jihad were all targeted in the IDF’s strikes.
The Iron Dome, the IDF’s main air defense system, which was responsible for intercepting hundreds of Islamic Jihad rockets during the operation.
In the 48 hours of the operation, the IDF was able to:
- Eliminate 25 terror operatives, including Baha Abu al-Ata who was the key target
- Strike approximately 100 terror targets belonging to the Islamic Jihad organization
- Intercept approximately 90% of Islamic Jihad’s incoming rockets with its air defense systems
IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi conducting a situational assessment and being debriefed on the operation on November 13, 2019
While the IDF put effort into reducing harm to those uninvolved, Islamic Jihad terrorists not only targeted Israeli civilians but exploited the people of Gaza as human shields. By deliberately choosing to operate in populated civilian areas and locating various military facilities in residential areas, Islamic Jihad intentionally put Gazan civilians in harm’s way.
At the end of the operation, IDF Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi sent a message to all the soldiers in the army and asked for everyone to learn from the success of the rapid, lethal, and accurate operation.
The IDF significantly hindered Islamic Jihad’s terror capabilities in Gaza during Operation Black Belt which has resulted in a decline in terror activity against Israeli civilians and troops since. Abu al-Ata’s elimination brought significant stability to the region and emphasized the IDF’s capabilities in targeting terror.
The IDF is committed to defending Israel and will continue to do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of Israeli civilians and homes.
