JERUSALEM – Israeli security forces killed a senior leader of the militant Palestinian Islamic Jihad in a targeted airstrike in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, sparking a rain of retaliatory rocket fire from the enclave and raising fears of escalating reprisals.
Warning sirens sounded in multiple population centers, including Tel Aviv, sending thousands to shelters. Schools, work places and public transport were canceled in large areas of south and central Israel. More than 50 rockets were launched and at least one residence and an office were hit, the army said , adding that 20 were intercepted. An 8-year-old girl was reportedly in stable condition after losing consciousness during the barrage.
In Syria, state media reported an attack about the same time struck the house of a second Palestinian Jihad leader living in Damascus. The reports said the leader, Akram al-Ajouri, was not injured but his son and one other were killed and 10 other wounded. Israel declined to comment on the reports.
In Gaza, Israeli Defense Forces said they targeted Baha Abu Al Ata, the commander responsible for several previous rocket launches, because “his next attack was imminent. ”
Photographs posted on social mediashowed a heavily damage house in the east Gaza neighborhood of Shejaiya. The Gaza Health Ministry said a man and woman were killed in the attack and two people injured.
In a statement, Palestinian 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,” it said, describing the attack as a “ cowardly assassination. ”
“ We affirm that the response to this crime will have no limits and will be the size of the crime committed by the criminal enemy and that the occupation will bear the consequences of this aggression, ”the statement said.
The army said it had carried out the joint strike with Shin Bet security service in response to attacks directed by Al Ata, including rocket launches and sniper fire. They attributed recent rocket attacks on a summer music festival and on the city of Sderot to the faction he led.
“Abu Al Ata was responsible for most of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s activity in the Gaza Strip and was a ticking bomb, ”the army’s statement said, calling him an“ imminent threat ”plotting additional violence.
The overnight action was approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the statement said. Benny Gantz, the former army chief who is now trying to form a coalition government, supported the action.
“The fight against terrorism is ongoing and requires moments of difficult decision-making. The political echelon and the IDF made the right decision tonight for the security of Israeli citizens and residents of the south. Blue and white will back up any proper activity for the security of Israel and put the residents’ security above politics, ”he said.
Hamas, the militant Islamist group that governs the territory, restricted offshore fishing activities to six miles.
Israeli army spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said Israel was getting preparing for days of potential hostilities.
Conricus said that based on intelligence information, at about 4 am, Israel conducted a surgical strike, killing the commander that Israel blames for much of the rising tensions in recent months.
“He was leader of the northern command for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, but we know that his activities were not only restricted to the northern *** strip, ”said Conricus.
“ The Israeli operation was aimed to mitigate the threat and done with the approval of the cabinet and the Minister of Defense, ”said Conricus. “We were looking for the most opportune moment over the past week but Baha Abu Al Ata had a habit of surrounding himself with human shields, we were waiting for a time to minimize the human casualties.”
Conricus said that missiles from fighter jets struck only the floor where Baha Abu Al Ata was located and only a handful of rooms. He said the Israelis were aware of additional casualties and were investigating.
“We want to emphasize that this was a preemptive strike to remove an imminent threat,” said Conricus. “We tried to communicate to him and to his senior commanders that we were aware of his plans but these warnings were not heeded.”
The strike did not mark a return to the strategy of targeted killings, Conricus said, but rather a tailored response to remove a specific threat. The use of assassinations was discussed recently in Israel’s security cabinet and it has been a subject of disagreement between the political echelons and security establishment.
Naftali Bennett, who was appointed by Netanyahu on Sunday to take over as Defense Minister on Tuesday, has been outspoken about supporting such actions when dealing with flare ups from the Gaza strip. He participated in an emergency meeting of the cabinet convened Tuesday.
“We have bolstered our defenses in the south if there is any attempt by PIJ to launch an attack,” said Conricus.
There were further reports of explosions in Gaza later in the morning as the funeral of Al Ata progressed through the streets. It could not be determined if they were the result of Israeli actions in response to the rocket activity or by failed rockets themselves. The Health Ministry reported two further deaths and seven injuries.
In May, Israeli forces carried out a similar strike on Hamad Hudri, who they said was a high-ranking official in Hamas’ Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades and who was responsible for transferring money from Iran to the various terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip.
Hazem Balousha in Gaza and Sarah Dadouch in Beirut contributed to this story .
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