The Israeli Army has killed this Friday the number two of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip during an airstrike against a residential building that left at least seven others dead and more than 40 wounded. Palestinian medical and security sources in Gaza have confirmed the death of Taysir al Jabari, leader of the armed wing of the YIP in the center and north of the Strip, who headed the unit responsible for launching rockets into Israel.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health has detailed that one of the fatalities is a five-year-old girl. Other Palestinian sources in Gaza have highlighted that the attacked residential building, located in the center of the Gaza capital, houses offices of the media and non-governmental organizations.
The murder of Al Jabari takes place within the framework of an offensive launched by the Israeli Army against targets of the Palestinian group in the enclave, in the framework of a spike in tension after the arrest on Monday of another of its leaders in the occupied West Bank.
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IDF publishes a video of the airstrike on senior Islamic Jihad commander, Tayseer Jabari in northern Gaza. pic.twitter.com/cySVQsg3Bt
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In a brief statement, the Army announced the start of an operation against the Islamist group, which this week threatened retaliatory attacks after the arrest, triggering a reinforcement of Israeli troops on the Gaza border and a state of alarm over the possible rocket launch.
For several days, Israel has kept the border crossings with the Strip closed, as well as multiple roads in the Israeli communities adjoining the enclave.
The Israeli attack this Friday in Gaza marks a change in trend from previous offensives, the triggers of which often include hostilities by Palestinian groups in the Strip against Israeli territory.
After the bombardments, which according to Palestinian sources reached multiple targets in different Gazan cities, the Army ordered the interruption of almost all activities in the communities near the border and established multiple protection measures in neighboring areas, but not so close.
These measures include the interruption of all educational activities and a limit on capacity, which cannot be extended to more than 10 people in closed spaces at least until tomorrow afternoon.
Following the offensive, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, who is facing new elections in November, the fifth in less than four years, has assured that “the Israeli government will not allow the terrorist organizations in Gaza to set the agenda in the area adjacent to the Strip and threaten the citizens of the State of Israel. Anyone who tries to harm Israel should know: we will find him.”
Lapid has assured that Israel “is not interested in a major conflict” with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but has warned that this scenario “does not generate fear either”. “Israel will not sit idly by when there are those who try to harm its civilians. This government has a zero tolerance policy for any attempted attack, of any kind, from Gaza into Israeli territory.”
The attacks will continue
An Israeli Army spokesman reported Friday that its forces will continue to attack the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Dawn Break, an offensive against the Palestinian group.
“We took the initiative and we are not done yet,” a military spokesman said during a call with reporters on Friday. In addition, he noted that reservists and anti-aircraft defense systems have been mobilized in different parts of the country as they expect a strong response, including rocket fire from Gaza towards central Israel.
According to the Army, this Friday’s offensive hit multiple buildings used by Palestinian “terrorists” – not to mention civilians – and it is a “preventive attack” after what they described as an “imminent threat” of an attack by the Palestinian group against Israeli territory.
“The occupation has crossed the red lines”
The Palestinian movement of the Islamic Jihad has indicated this Friday that it has launched more than 100 rockets towards the center of Israel in response to the previous Israeli bombardments against the Gaza Strip, in what represents the escalation of violence in the most important territory since May 2021.
“We are attacking Tel Aviv and the cities of the center with more than 100 rockets, in response to the crime of the assassination of the leader Taysir al Jabari and his martyr brothers”, they have indicated in a statement, referring to the wide Israeli offensive against its members and facilities in Gaza.
The secretary general of the group, Ziad al Nakhala, has assured that “the occupation will pay a high price for its aggression against Gaza, Tel Aviv will be a target for our missiles.” The leader of the Islamist movement warned that the “enemy must take responsibility for its aggression” and that “it must expect a strong and decisive response”, for which he urged the mobilization of “the entire Palestinian people”.
Hamas, the Islamist movement that has de facto ruled Gaza since 2007, expressed solidarity with the Islamic Jihad and stated that “the Palestinian armed resistance is united against the aggression.” “The occupation has crossed red lines and the time has come for us to teach the occupation a lesson and pay the cost,” Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassam said in a statement.
