A senior commander of the Palestinian extremist group Islamic Jihad (ID) has been killed in an Israeli attack in the Gaza Strip, according to the group. According to the ID, the commander was Taisir al-Jabari. The Israeli military (IDF) confirmed the attack.
The ID announced retaliatory measures. There will be no red lines, Tel Aviv should expect attacks. Eight people, including a five-year-old child, were killed in the recent airstrikes, the Gaza Ministry of Health said on Friday. 44 other people were injured. In the past, Islamists in Gaza have repeatedly misused civilian infrastructure and civilians as protective shields.
The Israeli military had previously attacked several targets in the coastal strip after threats of "Islamic Jihad". The Israeli broadcaster "Channel 12" reported, citing the military, that a total of 15 terrorists had been killed in the operation.
Tensions in the Gaza Strip have increased again since last Monday. On that day, Israeli authorities had arrested terrorist Bassam al-Saadi, a senior ID member. A 17-year-old member of the group died when he was arrested in the West Bank. The military arm of "Islamist Jihad", "Saraja al-Quds", then threatened attacks. The organization "Islamist Jihad" is closely linked to Israel's archenemy Iran and regularly carries out rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip.
In response, the Israeli military cordoned off areas on the edge of the coastal strip for several days and increased the alert. According to Israeli media reports, there are concrete indications of an attack from Gaza.
The Gaza Strip has been blocked since 2007. At that time, the radical Islamic Hamas had taken power there. The new Israeli security measures now also affect Palestinians working in Israel, as well as the fuel tankers that feed the only power plant in Gaza. Authorities warned it would have to be shut down if the crossings were not reopened. The approximately two million people in the Gaza Strip currently receive electricity for ten hours a day.
