Israel has killed three senior Islamic Jihad commanders in Gaza air strikes and at least six civilians, including children, as the Israeli military launched strikes against the militant group.
The air strikes on Tuesday were the latest incident in more than a year of surging violence that has seen repeated Israeli military raids and escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank, amid a spate of Palestinian street attacks targeting Israelis.
Israel’s military said it targeted three senior commanders of Islamic Jihad, the second-most powerful armed group in the blockaded coastal enclave, which is controlled by the Islamist militant group, Hamas.
“Any terrorist who harms Israeli citizens will be made to regret it,” said Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.
Israel’s military, working with the Shin Bet intelligence service, targeted the leadership of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza in a “precise” operation, he added.
A Gaza health official said at least 12 people had been killed and 20 more wounded in air strikes that hit residential areas.
Islamic Jihad’s armed wing confirmed the three deaths, adding: “We will not abandon our positions and the resistance will continue, God willing.”
The group identified the commanders killed as Jihad Ghannam, Khalil Al-Bahtini and Tareq Izzeldeen.
Read the article by AAP Newswire in Shepparton News.