The Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group says an Israeli airstrike has killed its prime commander for the southern Gaza Strip.
t comes a day after Israel killed the Iranian-backed group’s commander for northern Gaza in an air raid that triggered the worst cross-border battle between Israel and Palestinian militants because the finish of an 11-day conflict in 2021.
Al-Quda Brigades of Islamic Jihad confirmed on Sunday that the airstrike within the southern Gaza metropolis of Rafah had killed Khaled Mansour, the commander, and two fellow militants. It mentioned 5 different civilians, together with a baby and three girls, had been additionally killed within the airstrike that flattened a number of houses in Rafah.
Late on Saturday, Gaza’s Well being Ministry mentioned 24 individuals have been killed thus far within the coastal strip, together with six youngsters.
The quantity does not going embrace all of those that had been killed within the Rafah airstrike as a result of Civil Defence responders had been nonetheless on the lookout for our bodies and survivors underneath the rubble.
For now, the 2 highest-ranking commanders in Islamic Jihad and a number of other different militants are among the many useless. Israel estimates its airstrikes have killed about 15 militants.
Militants from Islamic Jihad continued firing rockets towards Israel and the Israeli navy continued airstrikes on Gaza, although the depth of the trade had decreased within the early hours of Sunday.
The combating started with Israel’s killing of a senior Islamic Jihad commander in a wave of strikes on Friday that Israel mentioned had been meant to stop an imminent assault.
Hamas, the bigger militant group that guidelines Gaza, appeared to stay on the sidelines of the battle for now, holding its response restricted.
Israel and Hamas fought a conflict barely a 12 months in the past, one in every of 4 main conflicts and a number of other smaller battles during the last 15 years that exacted a staggering toll on the impoverished territory’s 2 million Palestinian residents.
The combating started with Israel’s killing of a senior Islamic Jihad commander in a wave of strikes on Friday (Adel Hana/AP)
Whether or not Hamas continues to remain out of the combat relies upon partly on how a lot punishment Israel inflicts on Gaza as rocket fireplace continues.
The Israeli navy mentioned an errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants killed civilians, together with youngsters, late on Saturday within the city of Jabaliya, in northern Gaza.
The navy mentioned it investigated the incident and concluded “unquestionably” that it was attributable to a misfire on the a part of Islamic Jihad. There was no official Palestinian touch upon the incident.
A Palestinian medical employee who was not authorised to temporary media and spoke on situation of anonymity mentioned the blast killed a minimum of six individuals, together with three youngsters.
Israeli airstrikes on Saturday killed a 75-year-old girl and wounded six others as they had been making ready to go to a marriage. Airstrikes have additionally destroyed a number of homes within the Gaza Strip, a few of them belonging to Islamic Jihad members.
The lone energy plant in Gaza floor to a halt at midday on Saturday attributable to an absence of gasoline. With the brand new disruption, Gazans can use solely 4 hours of electrical energy a day, rising their reliance on non-public mills and deepening the territory’s persistent energy disaster amid peak summer time warmth.
Israel has stored its crossing factors into Gaza closed since Tuesday.
