Gaza, Europe Brief News – At least 10 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes Friday on the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement.
The fatalities included a 5-year-old girl and a leading member of the Islamic Jihad movement.
Israeli warplanes hit separate areas in Gaza City, Khan Yunis, and the northern Gaza Strip.
“Ten Palestinians were martyred and 44 others injured in a series of Israeli air raids on Gaza Strip,” the statement said.
Mourning the casualties, the Islamic Jihad Movement said in a press statement that Taysir al-Jabari, commander of the northern region of the group’s military wing, was among those killed by the raids.
The Israeli army also confirmed in a statement that it had targeted al-Jabari and 10 activists, claiming that they were on their way to launch anti-tank missiles and sniper operations.
An Israeli army source told Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth that at least 15 Islamic Jihad activists were killed in the raids.
Among the targets that the army raided was an apartment in Burj Palestine, in the Rimal neighborhood in western Gaza City.
The Islamic Jihad movement responded to the attack by confirming that it will not allow “the enemy to pass its policies aimed at undermining the resistance and national steadfastness.”
Commenting on the events, the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process expressed concern over the Israeli escalation in Gaza Strip.
Deeply concerned by the ongoing escalation between Palestinian militants & Israel, including the targeted killing today of a PIJ leader inside Gaza. Don’t let the situation slide into the avoidable, Tor Wennesland said.
