In the early hours of Tuesday, Israel carried out air strikes on the Gaza Strip, targeting the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad.
According to the Hamas-controlled territory’s health ministry, the military operation resulted in the death of 12 individuals, including women and children.
Witnesses in Gaza described a burning building and a swift evacuation of the injured. The Israeli military stated that the operation aimed to eliminate three Islamic Jihad leaders, considered members of a terrorist organization. The Palestinian group confirmed the death of three senior officials, identifying them as Jihad Ghannam, Khalil al-Bahtini, and Tareq Ezzedine.
Islamic Jihad mourned the loss of their leaders, their wives, and some of their children, promising that their sacrifice would only strengthen the group’s determination. The air strikes continued for nearly two hours shortly after 2 am.
The attacks occurred less than a week after Islamic Jihad declared a truce around Gaza, brokered by Egypt, following a recent surge in violence. The group accused Israel of disregarding mediation efforts and pledged to avenge the deaths of their leaders.
The Israeli military reiterated its commitment to ensuring the security of its citizens and justified the operation by detailing the roles of the targeted Islamic Jihad figures. They claimed Ghannan coordinated weapons and money transfers with Hamas, Bahtini was responsible for recent rocket fire toward Israel, and Ezzedine was planning multiple attacks against Israeli civilians in the occupied West Bank.
Israel and Gaza have experienced several conflicts since Hamas took control of the Palestinian enclave in 2007. Last year’s three-day conflict in August led to 49 Palestinian deaths and no Israeli casualties. This year, the death toll for the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict stands at 120 Palestinians and 21 individuals from Israel and other nationalities.
