Israeli security forces killed a senior leader of the militant Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in a targeted airstrike in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Tuesday, sparking retaliatory rocket fire from the enclave and raising fears of escalating reprisals.
Warning sirens sounded in multiple Israeli population centers, including Tel Aviv, sending thousands to shelters as rockets struck highways, buildings and vehicles. Schools, workplaces and public transport were closed in large areas of south and central Israel.
According to the Israeli media, more than 190 rockets were launched in a barrage that lasted into the evening.
At least 60 of the projectiles were intercepted and one residence and an office were hit.
Several minor injuries were reported; an 8-year-old girl was reportedly in stable condition after losing consciousness during the barrage.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, Israeli forces have killed two more Palestinians in an escalation of violence after a targeted attack on a senior militant leader.
In the Gaza strike, the Israeli military targeted Baha Abu al-Ata, the militant commander Israel considered responsible for several previous rocket launches, on grounds that his next attack was imminent.
Israel carried out further strikes that left two Palestinians Mohammed Attiyah Musleh Hammouda, 20, and Zaki Ghanama, 25, dead.
They were killed in a series of Israeli bombings which, according to military sources, targeted Islamic Jihad positions including rocket-launching units in the northern part of the area, a military training complex, and sites where armament was manufactured and stored.
During a press briefing in Tel Aviv, PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, “Israel is not interested in escalation, but will do everything necessary to defend ourselves”.
“And I say in advance: This could take time. Patience and composure are required”, he added.
The Israeli Defence Force said it carried out a “surgical strike” on a property in Gaza, targeting Abu Al Ata.
In a statement, Islamic Jihad confirmed that Abu al-Ata and his wife were killed. “Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad movement in Palestine, is mourning its martyr and one of the most prominent members of its military council and the commander of the northern region,” the group said, describing the attack as a “cowardly assassination.”
There were reports of more explosions in Gaza later in the morning as the funeral of Abu al-Ata progressed through the streets, and the Hamas Health Ministry reported three further deaths and seven injuries.
The Israeli military confirmed that it had made additional strikes against a rocket-launching site and was using tanks outside Gaza to target other Islamic Jihad military locations.
(With inputs from agency)