Israel killed three senior commanders of the militant Islamic Jihad group in focused airstrikes early Tuesday, the army mentioned. Palestinian well being officers mentioned 13 individuals had been killed in all, together with the commanders, their wives, a number of of their kids and others close by.
The assaults in densely populated residential areas set the stage for a brand new spherical of heavy combating. They hit the highest flooring of an house constructing in Gaza Metropolis and a home within the southern city of Rafah. The Palestinian Well being Ministry mentioned 20 individuals had been injured, and that ambulances had been persevering with to evacuate individuals from the focused areas.
Airstrikes continued within the early hours, concentrating on militant coaching websites, Israel mentioned.
Up to now, Palestinian militant teams in Gaza have retaliated for such focused killings. In anticipation of Palestinian rocket assaults in response to the airstrikes, the Israeli army suggested residents of communities inside 25 miles of Gaza to remain near designated bomb shelters.
Israel’s Dwelling Entrance command ordered the closure of colleges, seashores and highways in cities and cities in southern Israel, and restricted public gatherings.
The army mentioned the three focused males had been accountable for latest rocket fireplace towards Israel.
It recognized them as Khalil Bahtini, the Islamic Jihad commander for northern Gaza Strip; Tareq Izzeldeen, the group’s middleman between its Gaza and West Financial institution members; and Jehad Ghanam, the secretary of the Islamic Jihad’s army council. Their funerals had been deliberate for later within the day.
The Iran-backed Islamic Jihad, which is smaller than Gaza’s ruling Hamas group, confirmed the three had been among the many useless. The Palestinian Well being Ministry mentioned that together with the three commanders, their wives, a number of of their kids and others close by had been additionally killed — 13 in all.
Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh warned that Israel will “pay the worth” for the killings. “Assassinating the leaders with a treacherous operation won’t deliver safety to the occupier, however moderately extra resistance,” Haniyeh mentioned in an announcement.
The airstrikes got here at a time of boiling tensions between Israel and militants within the Gaza Strip. It’s linked, partially, to rising violence within the occupied West Financial institution, the place Israel has been conducting near-daily raids for months to detain Palestinians suspected in planning or finishing up assaults on Israelis.
Final week, Gaza militants fired a number of salvos of rockets towards southern Israel, and the Israeli army responded with airstrikes following the loss of life of a hunger-striking senior member of the Islamic Jihad in Israeli custody. The trade of fireplace ended with a fragile cease-fire mediated by Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar.
The airstrikes are much like ones in 2022 during which Israel bombed places housing commanders of Islamic Jihad group, setting off a three-day blitz that noticed the group lose its two high commanders and different dozens of militants.
Israel says the raids within the West Financial institution are supposed to dismantle militant networks and thwart future assaults. The Palestinians see the assaults as additional entrenchment of Israel’s 56-year, open-ended occupation of lands they look for a future unbiased state.
To date, 105 Palestinians, about half of them are militants or alleged attackers, had been killed by Israeli fireplace within the West Financial institution and east Jerusalem for the reason that begin of 2023, based on an Related Press tally. Not less than 20 individuals have been killed in Palestinian assaults in Israel in the identical interval.