Gaza terror groups acknowledge commanders killed in IDF airstrikes

Hamas and Islamic Jihad say several of their men, including regional commanders, have been killed in IDF attacks on Gaza

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

The two main terrorist organizations in Gaza confirmed Tuesday that several of their men, including senior regional commanders, were killed in IDF airstrikes, Walla News reported.

The IDF said that since Monday’s rocket attack on Jerusalem by Hamas it has carried out more than 130 attacks on terrorist targets in the Gaza Strip.

One of those killed may have been Mohammed Salim Abu al-‘Ata, the brother of a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group who was killed by Israel in 2019.

Israeli Arab affairs analyst Yoni Ben Menachem tweeted that two Islamic Jihad operatives were killed in an attack on a high-rise building in Gaza, but that Abu al-‘Ata was seriously injured.

In an unusual statement for the terror group, the Hamas military wing admitted that “we have dead and missing operatives in an Israeli attack.”

The IDF released a video showing a squad of terrorists armed with an anti-tank missile being themselves hit with a missile fired by IDF troops. The IDF said the squad of terrorists was eliminated.

Both Israel and Hamas have rejected international efforts to obtain a ceasefire, Israel Army Radio reported, with Ben Menachem commenting that Israel appears to prefer to want to finish this round of confrontation.

Kan News Palestinian affairs reporter Gal Berger noted that the fighting with Hamas is similar to previous clashes and for now is still under control.

So far it is “more of the same” and there is no “game changer” yet to make it clear to Hamas that it was not worth firing rockets at Jerusalem.

“It seems that both sides are refraining from using full force of fire, until this moment at least,” Berger said, adding that neither side so far appears ready to expand the conflict.

“It is more likely that both sides are striving to end this round as soon as possible, even if at first glance it is difficult to spot this in the storm of rockets and the continuous [IDF] attacks on the Strip,” Berger said.