A senior Israeli official responded on Wednesday evening to the Islamic Jihad's demands for a ceasefire. "Islamic Jihad wants a ceasefire and therefore tries to create a misrepresentation as if it made achievements. Islamic Jihad's demands prove that Israel's actions were successful. The IDF eliminated 20 terrorists and significantly damaged the Islamic Jihad's capabilities. Quiet will be met with quiet and the actions on the ground will determine that." "Israel's hand will reach those who try to hurt it," the official added. Earlier, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Nakhala said that his organization has offered Israel a ceasefire but has set a number of conditions for a ceasefire. "We demand a halt to the assassinations in Gaza and Judea and Samaria, the cessation of firing at the protesters in the return marches and the implementation of the ceasefire agreements," he said. In an interview with the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV , Nakhala added, "The organization is fighting using the tools it has. That does not mean we have used them all. We have taken all the options into consideration, including an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza." "As far as we are concerned, all options are a possibility. It may be an open war and it may be a war between the wars," the leader of the terrorist organization added. Meanwhile on Wednesday evening, Islamic Jihad intensified the firing at the Ashkelon, Ashdod and Sderot areas. In addition, for the first time in the current round, a siren sounded in Rehovot, located 25 kilometers from Tel Aviv, and a rocket was intercepted over the city. Dozens of rockets were fired in a span of about an hour and a half towards the region, most of them intercepted by the Iron Dome system. From Tuesday morning until 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, some 360 launches from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory were identified. Air defense systems intercept numerous launches at a success rate of more than 90%. About 60% of the rockets exploded in open areas. The IDF stressed that the directives of the Home Front Command must continue to be obeyed.
