Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip have slain at least thirteen Palestinians, including three commanders of the militant group Islamic Jihad.
According to Palestinian health officials, there were eight women and children among the deceased. Twenty more persons were injured.
Israel announced that it had launched an operation against militants who constituted an immediate threat to its citizens.
Islamic Jihad has vowed vengeance, and militants in Gaza are anticipated to respond by firing rockets into Israel.
According to reports, Israeli officials are preparing for days of combat.
The attacks were the deadliest since August’s three-day conflict between Israel and Islamic Jihad.
The most recent attacks occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning, when 40 Israeli warplanes and helicopters attacked Gaza in several waves, destroying homes and inciting hysteria among the local population.
At least two flat fronts were torn off in photographs, and others were damaged.
According to the Gaza health ministry, among the deceased were four infants and four women. Half of the injured were women and children, and some were hospitalised in critical condition.
Dr. Jamal Khuswan, a former chairman of the Gaza Dentists’ Association, was slain along with his wife and son, according to a statement released by the Russian representative office in the Palestinian territories.
It was stated that two more of their offspring survived. Diala, 10, cried for her father in an ambulance.
Mohammed, Mr. Khuswan’s sibling, stated that his brother was a well-known dentist and that the family was in their home when it was struck by a missile.
According to Palestinian sources, the deceased senior militant was a neighbor.
The military wing of Islamic Jihad, the al-Quds Brigades, reported the deaths of three officers, their families, and several children.
Jihad Shaker al-Ghannam, secretary of the al-Quds Brigades’ Military Council; Khalil Salah al-Bahtini, commander of its Northern Region; and Tariq Mohammed Ezzedine, described as “one of the heads of military action” in the occupied West Bank, were identified.
The al-Quds Brigades affirmed that the blood of the martyrs will strengthen their resolve. “We will not leave our positions, and the resistance will continue, God willing.”
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defense minister, stated, “Any terrorist who harms Israeli citizens will be made to regret it.”
The IDF blamed Gaza’s missile fire last month on Islamic Jihad’s top operations leader, Bahtini.
He posed an imminent hazard to Israeli civilians’ safety.
It was further stated that Ghannam was a senior member of Islamic Jihad’s rocket force and that Ezzedine was in charge of coordinating with the group’s West Bank operatives and plotting attacks against Israeli civilians in that region.
The IDF stated that its aircraft also targeted 10 weapon manufacturing facilities and six Islamic Jihad military facilities.
According to the AFP news agency, spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht stated that the operation “accomplished our goals.”
When queried about child fatalities, he responded, “We’ll investigate if there were any tragic deaths.”
He advised Israelis within 40 kilometres (25 miles) of Gaza to stay in bomb shelters until Wednesday evening.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, the Palestinian militant organization that administers the Gaza Strip, issued the following warning: “The assassination of leaders will not bring security to the Occupation [Israel], but rather more resistance.”
“The enemy made a mistake in its calculations and will pay the price for its crime,” he added.
According to correspondents, Hamas’ participation will play a significant role in determining the magnitude of any retaliation.
Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank, stated that the Israeli government “bears full responsibility for this dangerous escalation.”
Officially known as the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), it is the second-largest militant organization in Gaza, after Hamas. In recent years, it has launched numerous rocket attacks against Israel from its territory and has vowed Israel’s annihilation.
Following the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison, there was a significant flare-up last week, as Islamic Jihad and other groups fired multiple rocket barrages into Israel over two days. In response, the Israeli military conducted air operations.
