At least 12 people were killed in Israeli rocket attacks on the Gaza Strip on Monday night. This is reported by international news agencies. Three commanders of the Islamic Jihad terrorist group were killed, as well as nine civilians, including four children. According to the Israeli army, 40 fighter jets took part in the “precision attack” that took place in the middle of a residential area. “We are aware of any collateral damage,” said a defense spokesman.
Islamic Jihad confirms the deaths of the leaders, saying through a spokesperson: “We will answer this bombardment with our own bombardment. […] This crime will not go unpunished.” Islamic Jihad is the second largest Islamic military movement in the Gaza Strip after Hamas. Hamas leader Ismail Hainiyeh said: “Cutting leaders will not make the occupation more secure, but will only breed more resistance.” Since January, more than 100 Palestinians and at least 19 Israelis and foreigners have been killed in the fighting.
Violence also flared up last week when gunfire erupted across the border after Khader Adnan, 45, a former member of Islamic Jihad, was killed on a three-month hunger strike in an Israeli prison. The former Islamic Jihad spokesman was arrested 12 times during his lifetime by Israeli authorities, and spent more than eight years of his life in prison, often on hunger strike.
Read also Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan dies in Israeli prison after 86 days of hunger strike