Illustrative image. Source: the Israeli Air Force.
Late on May 12, Israel assassinated yet another senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip.
The commander, Iyad al-Hassani, was killed along with his assistant in a strike that hit the neighborhood of Nasser in Gaza city.
In a joint statement, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security agency said al-Hassani was a top official in the PIJ’s military council, in charge of its operations department. In recent days, he had also replaced the head of Islamic Jihad in northern Gaza, Khalil Bahtini, who was killed in the opening strikes of Operation Shield and Arrow on May 9.
The assassination of al-Hassani was apparently a response to a rocket attack by the PIJ that targeted Jerusalem city early on in the day.
The PIJ and other Palestinian armed factions in Gaza retaliated to the assassination by launching several salvos of rockets at nearby Israeli settlements. The IDF hit back by launching more strikes on the strip.
The IDF said on May 13 that 13 1,099 rockets and mortars have been launched from the strop at Israel since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow. 865 of the projectiles crossed the border, while 202 fell short in Gaza.
The Iron Dome and David’s Sling air defense systems intercepted 340 of the rockets. Still, several have landed within towns, killing one and wounded several others, as well as causing extensive damage. The rest landed in open areas without causing damage, according to the IDF.
According to the IDF, at least 325 sites belonging to the PIJ have been targeted since the start of Operation Arrow and Shield.
Israeli strikes on Gaza claimed the lives of 33 people, including three women and six children, health officials in the strip said, adding that at least 150 others were wounded.
Al-Hassani was the sixth senior commander of the PIJ to be assassinated in the framework of Operation Shield and Arrow. The assassination hindered ceasefire talks. However, Egypt is still reportedly making efforts to broker a deal that would end the current confrontation.
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