Only a few hours of respite, then at dawn Israel decided to violate the ceasefire reached on Wednesday evening and return to launch missile attacks on Gaza, in an attempt to hit other Islamic Jihad positions and managing to kill another of the leaders of the organization. As a result, other rockets were also fired from the Strip.
In a statement, the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, confirmed the death of “Ali Ghali, commander of a rocket launch unit, who was assassinated in the south of the Strip”. The top of a building was destroyed in the latest attack on Khan Younis and two other people were also killed, all members of Islamic Jihad, according to Palestinian medical sources, the Israeli military said in a statement confirming that “fighter planes targeted” Ghali while “he was hiding in an apartment”.
The reaction of the armed groups was not long in coming and alarm sirens sounded in the Israeli communities around the Strip. The launch, after about 8 hours of calm, resumed after the killing of Ali Ghali. Up to now, according to the army, 507 rockets have been fired from the Strip. Of these, 368 arrived on Israeli territory and 108 fell back into Gaza or into the sea. The interceptions by the Iron Dome have been 154. According to the Gaza health ministry, quoted by the Wafa agency, the dead so far in Gaza are 24 among militiamen and civilians (including women and minors) and over 60 wounded and the destruction of apartments. Four Palestinian civilians, including a 10-year-old girl, were killed by faulty rockets fired by Islamic Jihad from Gaza towards Israel and instead fell in the Strip, according to the Israeli military spokesman.
The appeal of the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, who “is following with deep concern the latest security developments in Gaza and the ongoing escalation”, as said by the spokesman of the Glass Palace, Farhan Haq, was of no use . Guterres “condemns the loss of civilian lives, including that of children and women, which he considers unacceptable and must stop immediately. Israel must comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including the proportionate use of force and taking all possible precautions to spare civilians in the conduct of military operations.” Furthermore, he “condemns the indiscriminate firing of rockets from Gaza into Israel, which violates international humanitarian law and puts both Palestinian and Israeli civilians at risk.” The secretary general “urges all interested parties to exercise maximum restraint and to work to stop hostilities immediately”, reiterating “his commitment to support Palestinians and Israelis to resolve the conflict on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, international law and bilateral agreements”.