The Israeli army killed the commander of the “Islamic Jihad” .
Israel announced today that the army has attacked the Gaza Strip and declared a “special situation” after days of tension over the arrest of an extremist in another Palestinian territory, the occupied West Bank.
Four people were killed, including a five-year-old girl, and at least 15 were injured, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.
The commander of the Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Taisir al-Jabari, was also killed.
An explosion was heard in Gaza City and smoke was seen on the seventh floor of a high-rise building.
The Israeli military closed roads around Gaza earlier this week and sent reinforcements to the border in anticipation of an attack following the arrest of a prominent member of Islamic Jihad in the West Bank.
Today it said schools were closed and other activities restricted in places up to 80 kilometers from the border.
It was not immediately clear how much worse the situation could get, but the attacks could spark a new war in Gaza.
The army announced that its goal is Islamic Jihad within the “Dawn” operation.
Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, have gone to war four times, and smaller clashes have erupted several times in the past 15 years since Hamas took power from forces loyal to its rival, the more moderate Fatah.