In a predawn airstrike on a Gaza flat, the Israeli military assassinated the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s (PIJ) missile launch force.
According to the military, two additional militants perished in the attack in the southern city of Khan Younis.
Eventually, sirens were heard in southern Israel as missiles and mortars were fired from Gaza. There were no injuries reported.
On Wednesday, militants launched 507 missiles and mortars at Israel, and Israel responded by striking 158 PIJ targets in Gaza.
Since Tuesday morning, when Israel launched its operation against PIJ with a series of strikes that killed three more of its commanders, health officials in Gaza report that 25 people have been killed and 76 have been injured.
The United Nations has deemed the deaths of at least ten civilians to be reprehensible.
On Wednesday, the Israeli military claimed that four people, including three minors, were killed in Gaza by misfired rockets, but Palestinian sources have not confirmed this.
Islamic Jihad stated that the accusation was “entirely false” and accused Israel of attempting to avoid culpability for their deaths.
According to local health officials, there have been no fatalities in Israel. But several people have been injured while fleeing to shelters.
The early morning Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis demolished the sixth-floor apartment and damaged the fifth-floor residence.
Abdullah Samir Hummaid, whose flat in a nearby building was also damaged, stated that he had just gone to bed when he saw “an extremely bright flash of light, turning the night into day, and then two explosions sounded within a few seconds”.
“Stones and glass fell on us, we were unable to see anything, and we did not know where anyone was. “I could hear the children yelling and screaming and calling out ‘daddy, daddy’,” he told the news agency Reuters.
“I crawled up to them and discovered them covering their heads with blankets,” he continued. “We took them outside and I returned with my wife and our six-month-old child, who had been injured by debris and glass,”
The armed wing of the PIJ confirmed that Ali Hassan Ghali, also known as Abu Mohammed, the head of its missile unit, was killed in the attack, which it characterized as a “treacherous Zionist assassination.”
The Palestinian health ministry reported three fatalities and seven injuries. According to Palestinian media, the other two victims were Ghali’s brother and nephew.
In recent years, the PIJ has been responsible for a significant number of projectile attacks against Israel.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) verified that it had targeted Ghali and two “other Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza”
It called the commander a PIJ leader “responsible for the recent rocket attacks against Israel.”
Local officials said Gaza terrorists fired at least ten mortars and five rockets at Eshkol Regional Council villages.
They added that one of the rockets struck a poultry coop close to a residence and caused extensive damage.
Most rockets and mortars hit open regions or were intercepted, although some hit buildings.
According to Israeli media, the Magen David Adom ambulance service had treated 32 persons as of Thursday morning, 15 of whom were injured while running for shelter and 17 of whom experienced severe anxiety.
The IDF hit multiple PIJ targets, including a command centre and observation station, during the rocket and mortar bombardment.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Wednesday night that Israel’s campaign was not over.
“We have dealt Islamic Jihad its greatest blow ever,” he said, referring to the Tuesday killing of three PIJ commanders and the targeting of dozens of the group’s rocket and mortar launch sites.
Islamic Jihad warned of impending doom if Israel “increased its aggression.”
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that he is closely monitoring the situation in Gaza and “condemns the unacceptable loss of civilian life, including that of children and women.”
She added, “The secretary-general urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint and work immediately to end hostilities.”
Egypt is attempting to secure a ceasefire between the warring parties.
Wednesday, Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen stated that the country was “evaluating” a proposal from Cairo. According to reports, Palestinian factions want Israel to stop what they term “targeted assassinations.”
This week’s fighting is the worst since August’s three-day Israeli-PIJ confrontation in Gaza, which killed 49 Palestinians.
Following the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in an Israeli prison, there was a significant flare-up last week, as PIJ and other groups fired over 100 rockets into Israel over two days. In response, the Israeli military conducted airstrikes on alleged Hamas-affiliated sites.
Wednesday, tensions remained elevated in the occupied West Bank following Israeli arrest raids.
Three Palestinians were slain by Israeli forces in the town of Qabatiya because they had opened fire on them. In a separate exchange of gunfire with Palestinian militants in Tubas, an Israeli soldier was also severely wounded.
