GAZA CITY (NBC) – Israel killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza early today Tuesday in a rare targeted killing.
The attack unleashed a fierce round of cross-border violence with Palestinian militants.
Tensions escalated as the two sides exchanged missile strikes Tuesday.
Rubble is all that remains after Israel Defense Forces targeted senior Islamic jihad commander Baha Abu al-Atta.
The IDF called it a precision strike, saying the building housing him was surgically targeted overnight as he posed an imminent threat to the people of Israel.
Islamic Jihad said al-Atta was undergoing a “heroic act” when he was killed, as his funeral began on the streets
A barrage of rockets was fired from Gaza and raining down on Israel.
Israel’s Iron Dome system intercepted many of the rockets according to their military, but not all. Homes were damaged. Vehicles on a highway narrowly avoided a direct hit.
Some in Israel are hopeful that this won’t escalate with Hamas, who govern the Gaza Strip.
General Assaf Orion with the Institute for National Security Studies said, “I think both Israel and Hamas have sufficient communication between them to stay away from the cliff, but in these businesses you can never say never.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the nation the fighting could take time.
Tuesday, Israel has resumed airstrikes in Gaza in response to the rockets. In recent years, Israel has stayed away from targeted assassinations in the region but it seems they thought this one had to be carried out imminently.
© 2024 KOBI-TV NBC5. All rights reserved unless otherwise stated.