Gaza: Israeli air strike kill sixth militant commander

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Israel has killed a sixth commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in an airstrike in Gaza, as the conflict between the two groups intensifies, BBC reports.

It stated that Iyad al-Hassani had directed the group’s operations since his predecessor was killed on Tuesday.

Earlier, a set of missiles from Gaza landed close to Jerusalem, and airstrikes on militant targets in the Palestinian enclave have since continued.

Hassani was killed in an airstrike on an apartment in a multi-story building in Gaza City’s northern al-Nasr neighbourhood, according to PIJ.

Local news sources reveal that the incident also claimed the life of a second Palestinian.

According to the Gazan health ministry, their deaths brought the total number of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza to 33, over half of whom were civilians.

On Tuesday, Israel carried out a surprise attack that resulted in the deaths of three senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) fighters. 111 people have reportedly been injured, according to the health ministry. Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) ambulance service, said one Israeli has been killed and five others injured by rocket fire in the same time frame.

After many hours of comparatively calm, fighting resumed on Friday, raising expectations for a ceasefire. In the early hours of Friday, Israel launched airstrikes on militant targets, but no rocket launches occurred overnight. A volley of rockets hours later also struck two homes in the Israeli towns of Sderot and Nir Am, although no one was hurt. Approximately 16 kilometres (10 miles) south of Jerusalem, according to Israeli media, a rocket fired from Gaza landed close to the Jewish hamlet of Bat Ayin in the occupied West Bank. There were no reported injuries.

PIJ said, “the firing of rockets at Jerusalem is a message, and everyone should understand its aim.”

Israel considers Jerusalem its capital and its targeting marks a significant escalation by the militants. It is the first time rockets have landed near there since a 10-day conflict between the two sides in May 2021.

This week’s fighting is the heaviest since three days of hostilities between Israel and PIJ last August, in which 49 Palestinians were killed in Gaza.

Israel said the three PIJ commanders were planning attacks when they were killed in an air strike on Tuesday morning. It killed two further commanders – the head of PIJ’s rocket force and his deputy – in strikes on Thursday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says more than 850 rockets have been fired at it from Gaza over the past four days, most of which it says have been intercepted or have landed in open areas. It says about a fifth have fallen short and landed in Gaza. According to the IDF, four people, including three children, have been killed in Gaza by failed rockets, though this has not been corroborated by Palestinian sources.

PIJ is the biggest militant group after Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and is sworn to Israel’s destruction.

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