Israel has killed 2 top members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) militant group in air strikes on Gaza over the weekend. Reports say that 11 children also died in the attacks that have killed at least 36 Palestinians in total – Israel says the PIJ accidentally caused some of those deaths when a rocket misfired. Israel launched the operation on Friday, saying there is an “immediate threat” posed by PIJ. In response, the PIJ has fired back with rockets reaching Jerusalem for the first time since May last year. To explain a bit… The PIJ is allied with Hamas, which has political control and military might in Gaza. Both are hostile toward Israel (and vice versa…) and share a vision of an Islamic Palestinian state. But so far, Hamas hasn’t fired on Israel, which would be a significant escalation in hostilities. It’s the most serious flare-up since the 11-day conflict in May last year, and ceasefire talks are being hosted by Egypt.