Israeli attacks on Islamic Jihad commanders trigger heavy fighting
Israel has targeted two senior commanders from the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, killing one in the Gaza Strip and missing the second in Syria as it stepped up its battle against Iran and its proxies across the region.
The death of Bahaa Abu el-Atta and his wife as they slept in their eastern Gaza home set off the heaviest fighting in months between Israel and Islamic Jihad, an Iranianbacked militant group even more hard-line than Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Gaza militants have responded to the attacks by firing scores of rockets into Israel, some reaching as far as Tel Aviv, while Israeli warplanes responded with a series of airstrikes on Islamic Jihad targets.
Eight others were killed, including at least seven militants.
“Whoever thinks that it is possible to hurt our citizens and evade our long arm is mistaken,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a meeting of top security officials at Israeli military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
He described Abu el-Atta as a “ticking time bomb” and “the main instigator of terrorism” from Gaza, responsible for many rocket attacks on Israel and planning more.
He said the killing had been approved 10 days earlier, and that Israel had waited for the “optimal conditions” to hit him while minimising civilian casualties. He said Israel was not interested in escalation but warned: “This could take time.”
Egypt, which frequently mediates between Israel and Gaza militants, was working to de-escalate tensions, according to officials in Cairo.
In a possible sign the fighting could be brief, Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group did not take part in the rocket fire. Although larger and more powerful than Islamic Jihad, Hamas is also more pragmatic. With Gaza’s economy in tatters, it appears to have little desire for another round of fighting with Israel.
The airstrike came at a sensitive time for Netanyahu. After two inconclusive elections this year, he heads a caretaker Government and is fighting for his political survival ahead of a possible indictment on corruption charges.