DAccording to its own statements, the Israeli army has carried out a successful strike against the Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip. “The senior leadership of the military wing of Islamic Jihad in Gaza has been neutralized,” said the head of the operations department, Major General Oded Basiok, on Sunday night – without explaining in more detail what neutralize exactly means. There was initially no confirmation from the militant Palestinian organization.
According to Palestinian sources, it is unclear whether the southern commander of Islamic Jihad, Khalid Mansur, was killed in the attack in the city of Rafah, it said. Rescue workers searched for survivors in the rubble during the night on Sunday.
Five children die in attack
On Friday evening, Israel’s armed forces specifically killed PIJ military chief Taisir al-Jabari, who had the same rank as Mansur. He was responsible for the northern Gaza Strip. This was followed by a massive rocket attack on Israel. According to the military, al-Jabari was responsible for rocket attacks from the coastal strip and planned attacks on civilians. In 2019, Israel had already deliberately killed its predecessor, Baha Abu al-Ata.
The group, which is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US. Targeted killings are controversial, with the United Nations, among others, complaining that it blurs legal boundaries. They also speak of a violation of international law.
According to Palestinian reports, five children and one adult were killed in an attack in northern Gaza. According to local sources, they were killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Jabalia refugee camp near a mosque. Israel’s military, however, denied this. “Based on military data, it appears that the event resulted from a misguided Islamic Jihad missile,” the military said. The armed forces were not conducting any activities in Jabalia at the time of the event.
A spokeswoman for Israel’s Prime Minister Jair Lapid said on Sunday night that there were video recordings documenting the process. “The world should be outraged that this terrorist group is targeting innocent Israelis and killing innocent people in the Gaza Strip,” the statement said. One in four rockets fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel ends up inside the Gaza Strip.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll has risen to 24 since the Israeli attacks began on Friday, including six children and two women. 215 people were injured.
