Israel’s army says it has killed another military chief of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad’s southern commander Khalid Mansur was killed in an airstrike in the city of Rafah, the military said Sunday morning. Two other senior jihadists were also killed, including Mansur’s deputy.
“In the past few days, Mansur has been working on preparing an attack on Israel with an anti-tank missile and missiles,” the statement said. He is also responsible for terrorist attacks in the past.
On Friday evening, Israeli forces killed the military chief of the extremist Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip, Taisir al-Jabari. According to the military, the high-ranking commander was responsible for numerous attacks from the Gaza Strip. Militant Palestinians then responded with rocket fire.
The Islamic Jihad organization threatened retaliation for the deaths of the two senior commanders, stating: “The blood of the martyrs will not be wasted, and the holy warriors will not let that blood dry until they have bombarded the enemy’s settlements with their rockets.”
Another focal point emerged on Sunday. For example, Jews visited a large mosque compound in Jerusalem where they saw the remains of two ancient Jewish temples that they wanted to commemorate. Palestinians view such visits as a religious and political affront. This has often resulted in violent protests.
The Israeli military launched the large-scale “Dawn” military action against Islamic Jihad on Friday. The military chief Taisir al-Jabari and other PIJ members were killed. The group, which is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US.
Israeli Prime Minister Jair Lapid said on Sunday, according to his office, that the operation would “continue as long as necessary”. Efforts are being made to ensure that bystanders are not harmed.
The Israeli government will not “allow terrorist organizations to set the agenda in the towns on the outskirts of Gaza and to threaten Israeli citizens.” Jair Lapid summed it up: “Anyone who wants to attack Israel must know that we will get to them.”
The army also attacked several targets in the Gaza Strip on Sunday night. In the Israeli border towns on the edge of the Gaza Strip and in the vicinity of Jerusalem there was another rocket alarm on Sunday morning.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 29 people have died since Friday. At least 253 were injured. Among the dead are six children and four women, along with other PIJ members.
Israel blames Islamic Jihad for the deaths of five children and one adult in the Jabalia refugee camp. According to the military, they were killed by a misguided jihadi missile.
According to Palestinian sources, the only power plant in the Gaza Strip has been temporarily shut down due to a lack of fuel. “Due to the current circumstances and the lack of fuel, the power plant has been shut down,” the electricity company said in Gaza on Saturday.
The power supply in the Palestinian territory will therefore be reduced from twelve to four hours. Israel stopped importing fuel into the area on Monday, fearing attacks after the arrest of a Palestinian militant leader.
A power company official said the shutdown of the power plant would create a “catastrophic situation” in the Gaza Strip. The area had previously suffered from insufficient electricity. According to this, around 550 megawatts of electricity are needed every day to cover the needs of the approximately two million inhabitants. Most recently, however, only 180 megawatts were available.
In Israeli communities west of Jerusalem, sirens wailed on Sunday morning warning of missiles. In addition, explosions could be heard, reported witnesses on site. This indicated that Palestinian rocket attacks on Israeli territory continued for the third straight day on Sunday and were now targeting more distant areas. There were initially no reports of possible victims.
On Friday and Saturday, the radical Islamic Jihad fired around 190 rockets into Israeli territory. According to the Israeli military, most of them fell in open areas or were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Around 36 rockets landed inside the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas spokesman announced retaliation: “The occupation (Hamas’s term for Israel) has crossed the red lines.”
Palestinian leaders said Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar had begun mediation efforts to end the violence. So far, however, there has been no breakthrough.
“We hope to reach a consensus to return to calm as soon as possible,” an Egyptian security official told AFP in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip are to occupy the UN Security Council in New York on Monday. Diplomatic circles announced on Saturday that a meeting of the United Nations’ most powerful body had been requested by the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, France, Norway and China. A time has not yet been set. The meeting will take place behind closed doors.
The jihad is closely linked to Israel’s archenemy Iran and regularly carries out rocket attacks on Israel from the Gaza Strip. The Israeli military cordoned off areas on the edge of the coastal strip for several days and increased the alert.
