• Israel has assassinated a second key militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
• Six children and numerous PIJ militants are among the 32 reported killed.
• Israel says it has detained scores of PIJ members in operations throughout the occupied West Bank.

As the death toll from Israeli air strikes in Gaza continues to grow, Israel has assassinated a second key militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement.

Six children and numerous PIJ militants, including commanders Khaled Mansour and Tayseer Jabari, are among the 32 Palestinians who have been reported killed.

According to an Israeli source, about 600 Palestinian rockets and mortars have been launched towards Israel since Friday.

According to Israel, the operations were undertaken in response to a “immediate threat” from PIJ.

The recent clashes between Israel and Gaza are the most violent since an 11-day confrontation in May 2021 that killed more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis.

The Israeli military has warned that the current operation, dubbed Breaking Dawn, might take a week.

For the first time since the 2021 war, Palestinian rockets launched from Gaza entered Jerusalem on Sunday.

The strikes occurred after Israel assassinated top PIJ leader Khaled Mansour in an air strike on a residence in Gaza’s Rafah refugee camp.

The commander had previously escaped five assassination attempts by Israeli forces, who suspected him of plotting violent operations from Gaza.

In addition to air attacks on Gaza, Israel says it has detained scores of PIJ members in operations throughout the occupied West Bank. It also claims to have struck a PIJ tunnel network.

Gaza’s health ministry condemned “Israeli aggression” for the deaths of Palestinians and the injuries of over 200 persons.

Israel accused PIJ fighters of mistakenly causing at least some of the fatalities, stating on Saturday that the organization launched a stray missile into Jabalia, Gaza, killing numerous youngsters. This allegation has not been independently verified by the BBC.

So far, Hamas, the region’s largest terrorist organization, which has similar philosophy to Islamic Jihad and often coordinates its attacks with it, does not seem to be shooting from its enormous rocket arsenal.

As a consequence, there have been no reports of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas, which would indicate an increase in violence.

Hamas has made emphatic comments claiming that “resistance organizations” are unified. However, since it oversees Gaza, it has practical constraints that may prevent it from becoming further engaged.

If the civilian death toll in Gaza grows dramatically, Hamas’ calculations may alter.

If it decides to join the conflict, things will rapidly get much more heated.

Life in the Palestinian territories has already gotten considerably more difficult in the last week, with Israel closing its borders with Gaza out of concern that Islamic Jihad would retaliate for the arrest of one of its commanders in the northern West Bank.

According to an electrical company spokeswoman, Gaza’s only power facility shut down on Saturday due to a lack of fuel delivery.

According to Reuters, the US State Department encouraged all parties to avoid further escalation, reiterating its support for Israel’s right to self-defense but also expressing worry over allegations of civilian fatalities.

Egypt has also stepped in as a mediator between the two parties, allegedly sending a group of officials to Israel on Saturday to serve as a go-between.

The current violence comes on the heels of Israel’s arrest of Bassem Saadi, the PIJ’s West Bank leader, on Monday night.

He was detained in Jenin as part of an ongoing series of arrests after a spate of assaults by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that killed 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians. Two of the assailants were from the Jenin neighborhood.

The PIJ, one of the most powerful armed organizations operating in Gaza, is supported by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

It has been responsible for several assaults against Israel, including rocket fire and shootings.

In November 2019, Israel and the PIJ waged a five-day confrontation after Israel killed a PIJ leader who Israel said was organizing an upcoming strike. The violence killed 34 Palestinians and wounded 111 others, while 63 Israelis required medical attention.

Israel said that 25 of those killed were terrorists, including those ready to fire rockets.

[embedpost slug=”/footage-captures-the-moment-israeli-airstrikes-hit-gaza-homes/”]