OCCUPIED JERUSALEM: At least 12 Palestinians were martyred and 20 were injured in Israeli airstrikes that targeted the Gaza Strip on Tuesday.
منزل عائلة غنام الذي دمرته طائرات الاحتلال في رفح جنوب قطاع غزة، فجر اليوم. pic.twitter.com/HzzrX6gnP3
— وكالة شهاب للأنباء (@ShehabAgency) May 9, 2023
The attacks marked the latest in a year-long period of intense violence that has seen repeated Israeli military raids and escalating settler violence in the occupied West Bank, alongside a spate of Palestinian street attacks against Israelis.
– عدوان "اسرائيلي" على مناطق مختلفة في قطاع #غزة يستهدف قادة للمقا9مة#قناة_اليرموك #قريبون_منكم pic.twitter.com/OsBj8zKn5M
— قناة اليرموك الفضائية (@YarmoukTvSat) May 9, 2023
The Israeli military stted that it targeted three senior commanders of Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful armed group in the blockaded coastal enclave, which is controlled by Hamas. The Israeli army named the commanders as Khalil Bahtini, the Islamic Jihad commander for northern Gaza Strip; Tareq Izzeldeen, the group’s intermediary between its Gaza and West Bank members; and Jehad Ghanam, the secretary of the Islamic Jihad’s military council, holding them responsible for recent rocket fire towards Israel.
???? جيش الاحتلال ينشر فيديو يوثق فيه الغارات على قطاع غزة فجر اليوم
▫️الجيش قال بأن عملية قطاع غزة بدأ التخطيط لها مُنذ يوم الثلاثاء الماضي pic.twitter.com/3sW54AfBDf
— ساحات ???????? (@Sa7atPlBreaking) May 9, 2023
Reacting to the airstrikes, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned, “Any terrorist who harms Israeli citizens will be made to regret it.” In anticipation of Palestinian rocket attacks in response to the airstrikes, the Israeli military issued instructions to residents of communities within 25 miles (40 kilometers) of Gaza to stay close to designated bomb shelters.
The Israeli army says that 40 Israeli aircraft participated in the Gaza raids.
The Palestinian Health Ministry reported that several people were killed and injured in the bombings.
الطائرات الحربية الإسرائيلية تقصف عددا من مواقع المقاومة الفلسطينية في قطاع غزة
وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية: 12 شهيدا و20 جريحا في الغارات الإسرائيلية على قطاع #غزة pic.twitter.com/DrHYkTH38h
— Jordan TV-التلفزيون الأردني (@JrtvMedia) May 9, 2023
“The bombardment will be met by bombardment and the attack will be met by an attack,” said Tareq Selmi, a spokesman of Islamic Jihad. “This crime will not pass unpunished.”
Meanwhile, during the bombardment, Palestinians took to social media to mourn a well-known dentist who was killed at home with his wife in Tuesday’s air strikes, describing him as a loyal friend and humble man. The Israeli airstrikes have prompted international concern, with calls for restraint and a renewed push for a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict.
