Israeli strikes on Gaza kill at least 10, including senior militant
ITV News Correspondent Ian Woods reports on the aftermath of Israel striking numerous sites in the Gaza Strip
Israel has hit Gaza with a series of airstrikes, killing at least ten people, including a senior militant, Palestinian officials have said.
Israel said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad militant group in response to an “imminent threat” following the arrest of a senior militant in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.
The Palestinian Health Ministry confirmed the death toll, saying a five-year-old girl was among those killed. It did not say whether the others were civilians or not.
Local health officials said that at least 55 people had been injured from the strikes.
Islamic Jihad said Taiseer al-Jabari, its commander for northern Gaza who had succeeded another militant killed in an airstrike in 2019, was among those killed.
Israel had closed roads around Gaza earlier this week and sent reinforcements to the border as it braced for a revenge attack after the arrest of an Islamic Jihad leader in the occupied West Bank on Monday.
Friday's strikes risk igniting yet another war in the territory, which is ruled by the Islamic militant group Hamas and is home to some two million Palestinians.
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“The Israeli government will not allow terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip to set the agenda in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip and threaten the citizens of the State of Israel," Prime Minister Yair Lapid said.
“Anyone who tries to harm Israel should know: We will find you.”
An Israeli military spokesman said it launched the strikes in response to an “imminent threat” from two militant squads armed with anti-tank missiles.
The military also announced a “special situation” on the home front, with schools closed and limits placed on other activities in communities within 50 miles of the border.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said “the Israeli enemy, who started the escalation against Gaza and committed a new crime, must pay the price and bear full responsibility for it.”