TEL AVIV — Israel carried out quite a lot of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday, and the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad mentioned one of many assaults killed a senior determine within the faction.
The airstrikes culminated nearly every week of rising tensions following the arrest of one other senior militant from the identical group within the West Financial institution.
A senior Israeli protection official mentioned that the assaults focused Islamic Jihad and several other of the targets had been struck, together with an condo constructing in Gaza, and at the very least 4 militants carrying anti-tank missiles. A minimum of seven individuals, together with a 5-year-old woman, had been killed and about 40 civilians had been injured, in response to the Well being Ministry in Gaza.
The Islamic Jihad mentioned {that a} commander of its army wing, recognized as Taysir al-Jabari, was killed.
“The enemy has began a warfare concentrating on our individuals and all of us have to defend ourselves and our individuals,” an Islamic Jihad assertion mentioned.
The Israeli protection official mentioned that a number of individuals had been killed within the airstrikes and confirmed that one of many targets was Mr. al-Jabari.
Plumes of smoke billowed over the Gazan skyline and on the bottom, throngs of rescuers and different individuals gathered on the street close to the location the place the Islamic Jihad commander had been killed.
Israel closed crossings into the Gaza Strip this week in anticipation of a retaliatory assault following the arrest on Monday of one other senior member of the Islamic Jihad within the West Financial institution. Gaza has been below a strict blockade since 2007.
