Over 40 Palestinians, at least a third of whom were civilians, and two senior Islamic Jihad commanders were killed over the weekend in an escalation of fighting in Gaza, while tens of thousands of Israelis fled to shelters.
A second senior Islamic Jihad commander was killed by an Israeli airstrike as fighting in Gaza continues to escalate.
The militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad identified the man as Khaled Mansour, their top official for the southern Gaza Strip.
The attack in the southern city of Rafah also claimed the lives of two other militants and five civilians, including a child and three women, according to the group.
Yair Lapid, the interim prime minister of Israel, confirmed that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, had “thwarted” the leader.
“This is a deliberate and operational effort, and an extraordinary accomplishment,” he said.
“We are acting in a focused and responsible manner to cause the least amount of harm to uninvolved parties. The operation will last as long as is required.”
The attack occurred after Israel killed the northern Gaza commander of the Iranian-backed group in an air raid that sparked the worst cross-border conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants since last year.
Islamic Jihad stated that it would “not let their blood dry before bombarding enemy settlements.
Around 30 Palestinians were killed in fighting over the weekend.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, over 40 Palestinians, including fifteen children and four women, have been killed so far in the fighting, while tens of thousands of Israelis have fled to shelters.
In the early hours of Sunday, Islamic Jihad militants continued to fire rockets at Israel and the Israeli military continued to conduct airstrikes on Gaza, although the intensity of the exchange had diminished.
The dramatic moment Israeli fighter jets dropped two bombs on the home of an Islamic Jihad member was captured on video.
Several communities west of Jerusalem sounded rocket-warning sirens, and an Israeli military spokesperson stated that all rockets had been intercepted without causing any casualties or damage.
The Israeli military reported on Saturday that a stray missile fired by Palestinian militants killed people, including children, in the northern Gaza town of Jabaliya.
The statement added that the incident was “without a doubt” the result of a misfire by the Islamic Jihad.
According to footage released by the IDF, the missile went astray.
A Palestinian medical worker reported that the explosion killed at least six people.
On the same day, Israeli airstrikes also killed a 75-year-old woman and wounded six others as they prepared to attend a wedding.
Shortly before the attack on Friday, Israel halted the planned transport of fuel into Gaza, crippling the sole power plant and reducing daily electricity to about eight hours.
In a matter of days, the Palestinian Ministry of Health has warned that power shortages could have devastating effects on hospitals.
“Forty-eight hours remain without the fuel required to operate the hospitals’ standby generators,” the report stated.
Will Hamas get involved?
Hamas, the largest militant group in Gaza, has appeared to remain on the sidelines of the conflict since fighting began on Friday.
After fighting Israel less than a year ago, in one of the four major conflicts to hit the region in the past 15 years, the group has limited its response.
