The Israeli Army killed this Friday number two of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip, Taysir al Jabari, during an airstrike on a residential building that left at least seven others dead and more than 40 wounded.
An Israeli Army spokesman reported after the attack that its forces will continue to attack the Gaza Strip as part of Operation Dawn Break, an offensive against the Palestinian group. “We took the lead and we’re not done yet“, said a military spokesman during a call with journalists today.
In addition, he stressed that they have mobilized reservists and deployed defense systems air raids in different parts of the country as they expect a strong response, including rocket fire from Gaza into central Israel.
According to the Army, this Friday’s offensive hit multiple buildings used by Palestinian “terrorists” and it is a “preemptive attack” after what they described as an “imminent threat” of an attack by the Palestinian group against Israeli territory.
During the last days, the spokesman specified, units of the YIP armed with anti-tank missile launchers they approached the border area several times, in what Israel interprets as a show of force and a clear threat.
This spike in tension began with the arrest on Monday of a senior YIP official in the occupied West Bank during an Israeli Army raid on the Jenin refugee camp. Since then, international mediators have tried to prevent an escalation of violence following the Palestinian group’s threat of a possible retaliatory attack.