Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip have killed a fourth militant commander, raising the death toll from the latest outbreak of fighting to 25.
It has been the worst bout of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza in months, and among the dead were also women and children. The airstrikes come at a time of intense tensions and surging violence over the past year in the West Bank.
Early on Thursday, May 11, 2023, the Israeli military carried out strikes against the Islamic Jihad militant group and said a senior commander in charge of the group’s rocket launching force, Ali Ghali, was killed when his apartment was hit.
According to Palestinian media reports, the strikes targeted the last floor of a building at a residential, Qatari-built complex in southern Gaza Strip, killing at least two people, including the commander. The Health Ministry in Gaza disclosed that 25 people had been killed since the fighting erupted.
Following intense fighting on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, when rockets rained down on southern and central Israel and airstrikes invaded Gaza, a state-run Egyptian TV station announced that Egypt, a frequent mediator between the sides, had brokered a cease-fire. However, with the violence continuing into the early hours of Thursday, it appeared that neither side was backing down.
The Israeli military says that in its strikes it has zeroed in on militants with what it says are precision strikes, but children, among them a 4-year-old, were also killed. Military Spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari disclosed that a quarter of the rockets launched during this round of fighting fell in Gaza, killing at least four, including a 10-year-old girl.
“This Round Is Not Over”
In a prime-time TV address, Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu made the assertion that Israel had dealt a harsh blow to the militants. However, he cautioned, “This round is not over.”
“We say to the terrorists and those who send them. We see you everywhere. You can’t hide, and we choose the place and time to strike you,” Netanyahu averred, adding that Israel would also decide when calm is restored.
Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic militant group took control of Gaza in 2007.
Schools would remain closed and restrictions on large gatherings would remain in place in southern Israel until at least Friday, May 12, 2023, the army announced. Residents were instructed to stay near bomb shelters.
The initial Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, that sparked the fire exchange killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians; women and children mostly. The Israeli military has defended that its attacks were focused on Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.
Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings along with his wife and son.
Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.
Israel claims that it is making attempts to evade conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and limit the fighting to Islamic Jihad.
READ ALSO: Ukraine’s Atomic Energy Company Warns Of Potential “Catastrophic Lack Of Qualified Personnel”
