Israeli strikes on Gaza kill three Islamic Jihad leaders
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JERUSALEM — Israel launched surprise strikes across the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, killing three leaders of the Islamic Jihad organization and several other civilians, prompting a promise of swift retaliation from militant groups and leaving the region braced for an escalation of violence. Are you on Telegram? Subscribe to our channel for the latest updates on Russia’s war in Ukraine. ArrowRight The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strikes — which came days after a cease-fire with Palestinian armed factions — targeted three senior operatives of the militant group. Khalil Bahitini, Tareq Izzeldeen and Jehad Ghanam were responsible for several attacks in previous months and recent rocket fire on Israeli territory, the IDF said. Islamic Jihad confirmed the deaths of the three leaders.
At least 13 people were killed, including four women and four children, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said, adding that 20 others were injured. Israeli military officials said they were aware of reports of killed civilians and would investigate.
Armed Palestinian groups responded with warnings of repercussions, raising the possibility of a longer, drawn-out conflict. Ismail Haniyeh, a senior leader of Hamas — which rules Gaza and is the dominant armed faction in the strip — said Israel would “pay the price.”
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“Assassinating leaders with a treacherous operation will not bring security to the occupier, but rather more resistance,” Haniyeh said in a statement.
Islamic Jihad members have retaliated with rocket strikes after past Israeli attacks on their leaders, and the IDF Home Front Command told residents around Gaza to remain in the vicinity of shelters until Wednesday. Military leaders said they were prepared to call up reserve units.
Israel has exchanged fire with militants in the Gaza Strip in recent days, as tensions rose after an influential Islamic Jihad member, Khader Adnan, died in an Israeli prison following an 87-day hunger strike. Palestinian officials termed it a “deliberate assassination,” and militant groups in Gaza launched more than two dozen rockets into Israel as retaliation.
The warring parties later agreed to a fragile truce, though Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been criticized by other members of his far-right government for what they saw as an overly tentative response to recent terrorist attacks and rocket launches.
“It’s about time!” National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir tweeted Tuesday. His Jewish Power party has been boycotting parliamentary votes in recent days to protest the cease-fire after last week’s exchange of fire.
Israeli officials told their Egyptian counterparts that their attacks were aimed at Islamic Jihad leaders and they were not seeking a wider conflict in the enclave, Israeli media reported. Hamas will determine the scope of any further escalation, Israel said.
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“The big question is Hamas and what they decide to do,” said Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an IDF spokesman.
The IDF said the attacks had been in the planning since Adnan’s death and were carried out when weather and intelligence on the commanders’ movements made the timing right. Officials said they had no plans for further action but were prepared for a response from Islamic Jihad and other groups.
“What we wanted to achieve, we achieved,” said Hecht. “We don’t know where it will go. We are ready for as long as it takes.”
Some 40 helicopters and planes took part in the strikes. In addition to the locations of the targets, they hit several other sites that Israel said were militant infrastructure, including a rocket manufacturing site in the Khan Yunis refugee camp and a cement plant.
Israel said the three men were involved in orchestrating recent attacks on Israel and planning for future ones. They were killed while in apartments — two in Gaza City, in the enclave’s crowded north, and one in Rafah to the south — and the strikes were designed for “pinpoint” precision, Hecht said.
But in Gaza’s densely packed neighborhoods, surrounding buildings and apartments are frequently damaged in strikes. Images shared by Palestinian civil defense groups showed teams in Rafah and Gaza City working to rescue people from the debris of buildings. Photos circulating on social media showed images of killed and wounded civilians, including children said to have been family members of the targeted men. The Washington Post could not immediately verify the images.
A new phase of violence has broken out over the past year between Israel and Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip under the current Netanyahu government.
Settler leaders who are part of the hard-line government have advocated policies to expand Israel’s occupation of the West Bank. In April, fears rose over a regionwide war after Palestinian militant groups in Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip fired salvos of rockets into Israel, prompting retaliatory airstrikes.
Last year was the deadliest for Palestinians in West Bank in recent memory. Between January and early May this year, at least 95 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli security forces or settlers, The Post reported. At least 17 Israelis and one foreign national have been killed in attacks by Palestinians.
Masih reported from Seoul, and Berger from Washington.
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Source: The Washington Post
