Israel strikes targets in Gaza after rocket attack kills 10 Palestinians

After heavy rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, Israel said it struck targets of the militant Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday evening.

At the start of Operation Shield and Arrow, a senior officer of the organization was targeted, according to the Israeli army. According to Palestinian sources, at least ten Palestinians were killed in the attacks, including a number of senior Islamic Jihad officials. Ten other Palestinians were injured. The attacks continued. The Israeli army imposed restrictions on communities in the south of the country.

The military said militants in the Gaza Strip fired dozens of rockets and multiple mortar rounds at Israel last week after the death of a Palestinian prisoner. Several people were injured.

Israeli drones struck two Islamic Jihad buildings in the cities of Gaza and Rafah on Tuesday morning, according to Palestinian sources and eyewitnesses. Both buildings were badly damaged and would burn down, it said.

Civilians in southern Israel have been ordered to remain near a designated safe area until Wednesday. Border crossings into the Gaza Strip have also been closed, according to the Jerusalem Post. Some roads and schools were also closed.

The background to the recent tensions between Israelis and Palestinians is the death of Chader Adnan. A week ago, the senior Islamic Jihad member died in Israeli custody after nearly three months of hunger strike. Several militant Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip had announced retaliatory measures. According to prison authorities, Adnan was imprisoned on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization and support for terrorism and hate speech. (sda/dpa)