At around 4:00 pm Israel's security forces reportedly killed a leader of Islamic jihad in the Gaza Strip. Accordingly, it was a targeted action acted. The army informed about the operation involving the domestic intelligence service Shin Bet. Baha Abu Al Ata died in an air raid on his home.
The militant Palestinian organization also confirmed the death of the Islamist leader and his wife. "Israel has crossed all red lines," it said in a statement. Two more people were injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
According to media reports, the Iron Dome defense system subsequently intercepted several missiles fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel. The army also said that there had been "substantial" rocket fire from Gaza this morning. The military is preparing for multi-day clashes, said army spokesman Jonathan Cornicus.
Abu Al Ata is said to have planned terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians
Abu Al Ata has reportedly been preparing for "imminent" terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers in recent days, the army said. Among other things, he trained "Terror Squads" for the penetration into Israel. Abu al Ata was the leader of the Al-Kuds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
The operation had served to avert "an imminent danger," it said further from the army. She was approved by Prime Minister and Minister of Defense Benjamin Netanyahu. The government had approved on Sunday the appointment of Naftali Bennett of the New Right as the new Minister of Defense.
MAHMUD HAMS / AFP
House of Abu al Ata: He had trained, among other things "Terrorsquads" for the penetration into Israel
"Abu al Ata was responsible for most of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's activities in the Gaza Strip and was a ticking time bomb," the army said. "He has led terror attacks and personally participated in them, as well as attempts to harm Israeli civilians and soldiers through rocket fire, sniper fire, sending drones, and more."
Abu al Ata had been responsible for, among other things, the intense shelling in early May, the rocket fire on November 1, when a house in the Israeli city of Sderot was hit, and rocket fire at a music festival in Sderot in late August, said the army.
No return to the policy of targeted killing
After the operation, the army said it would not return to the policy of targeted killings of Israeli enemies. "This Israeli attack is not indicative of a change in Israeli politics," said army spokesman Jonathan Conricus on Tuesday. This was a unique action to avert "a direct threat".