Senior militant among more than 15 dead as Israel strikes Gaza

The most severe Gaza violence since a war in May of last year followed days of tensions between Israel and the Islamic Jihad group, which Israel accused of planning attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid described the strikes as a “precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat”, and announced the killing of Taysir al-Jabari, who he described as Islamic Jihad’s second-in-command.

It later announced another flurry of rocket fire, as air raid sirens rang out across southern and central Israel and officials in the country’s commercial capital Tel Aviv opened the city’s bomb shelters.

The army had initially confirmed at least 70 rocket launches from Gaza, saying 11 had fallen inside the strip, with dozens intercepted and others landing in open areas.

Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, including the conflict last May. Islamic Jihad is a separate group, but aligned with Hamas.

The sides exchanged fire for several days without Hamas joining the fray.

Gaza City resident Abdullah al-Arayshi said the situation was “very tense”. “The country is ravaged. We’ve had enough of wars. Our generation has lost its future,” he told AFP.

The Israeli strikes were ongoing late Friday, targeting what the army described as militant targets across the territory. Gaza’s health ministry has confirmed 10 dead along with at least 75 injured.