Islamic Jihad retaliates against Israeli strike on Gaza with support of Palestinian factions
Egyptian mediation seeks to prevent escalation of conflict.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian resistance factions in Gaza launched on Friday a salvo of rockets toward Ashkelon in Israel, targeting small settlements along the border — the first attack since the last round of violence in May 2021.
The missiles came in response to the Israeli army’s assassination on Friday of Taysir al-Jaabari, a prominent Islamic Jihad leader in Gaza, and the commander of the Northern Brigade responsible for the most important military operations of the al-Quds Brigades, the Islamic Jihad military wing.
Jaabari was responsible for field coordination between Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. He was appointed commander of the northern area to succeed Bahaa Abu al-Atta who was killed in an Israeli strike on the Shajaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza on Nov. 12, 2019.
Jaabari’s assassination came at a time when Egypt has been trying to pressure the Islamic Jihad not to respond to Israel’s arrest on Aug. 1 of one of the movement’s most prominent leaders in the West Bank.
