Click to see full-size image. Source: the Israeli Air Force.
On May 11 afternoon, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) assassinated another senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the Gaza Strip.
The commander was identified as Ahmad Abu Daqqa. He was reportedly the second-in-command in the PIJ’s rocket force. Ali Ghali, the commander of the force, was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza in the morning.
The IDF said that the assassination of Abu Daqqa was carried out in the framework of Operation Shield and Arrow, which was launched early on May 9 in response to a series of rocket attacks that targeted southern Israeli settlements a week earlier.
Palestinian armed factions have launched 547 rockets and mortars from Gaza since the start of the confrontation, the IDF announced before the assassination. According to the army, at least 394 of the projectiles crossed the border, while 124 fell short in Gaza.
Israeli air defense systems, the Iron Dome and David’s Sling, intercepted 175 of the rockets, marking a 95 percent interception rate of projectiles heading for populated areas, while a handful landed in urban areas, causing damage.
The IDF also announced that it had carried out strikes against 166 positions belonging to the PIJ in Gaza. The number does not include the strike that claimed the life of Abu Daqqa.
The assassination brought the death toll from Israeli strikes on Gaza since the start of the confrontation to 26. Abu Daqa was the fifth PIJ commander to be killed by the IDF in this round of clashes.
Egypt was leading regional and international efforts to broker a ceasefire in Gaza before the assassination. The PIJ reportedly demanded an end to targeted killings in order to stop rocket attacks on Israeli settlements. However, Tel Aviv rejected. Now, it appears that the confrontation in the strip could go on for another day, or even more.
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