Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander eliminated in Israeli strikes on Gaza: Report

Ali Ghali, the commander of a rocket launch team, was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in the Israeli pre-dawn strike, according to a statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reported Al Jazeera.  

Tel Aviv: The Israel Army on Thursday stated that they targeted Ali Ghali, the commander of Islamic Jihad's rocket launching force, and two other Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza. Following this media reports confirmed the death of Ghali in the airstrikes.

As many as 24 Palestinians including five women and five children were reportedly killed in the air strike. 

The Israeli army tweeted, “OPERATIONAL UPDATE: We just targeted Ali Ghali, the commander of Islamic Jihad’s Rocket Launching Force, as well as two other Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza.”

“Ghali was a central figure in IJ, as well as responsible for the recent rocket barrages launched against Israel,” the tweet added further.

The southern Gaza Strip neighbourhood of Khan Younis was the focus of the strike conducted early hours of Thursday, targeting a commander of a rocket unit, Al Jazeera reported quoting Israeli forces.

Ali Ghali, the commander of a rocket launch team, was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in the Israeli pre-dawn strike, according to a statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, reported Al Jazeera.

The strike was centered on the southern  Khan Younis neighborhood of the Gaza Strip, where Al Jazeera reported that Palestinian media reported that many people were killed, including an Islamic Jihad commander.

According to the Israeli Army, over 300 rockets were fired at civilians across the country, as civilians in cities like Tel Aviv ran to shelters for safety.

The bombings came after Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist Adnan died last week after nearly three months on a hunger strike. 

Adnan, who was in the process of being tried, was found unresponsive in his cell and rushed to a hospital, where after attempts to revive him, he was pronounced dead, according to Israel's Prisons Service. He was the first Palestinian to pass away while being held by Israel in more than 30 years. 

In the occupied Palestinian territories, hundreds of people gathered to mourn Adnan's passing, which Palestinian leaders characterised as an assassination.