publish time

12/11/2019

author name Arab Times

publish time

12/11/2019

Palestinians chant angry slogans as they carry the body of Islamic Jihad commander, Bahaa Abu el-Atta, who was killed with his wife by an Israeli missile strike hit his house early morning, during his funeral in Gaza City, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

GAZA/JERUSALEM: Israel killed a top commander from the group Islamic Jihad in a rare targeted strike in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, drawing retaliatory rocket salvoes that reached as far as Tel Aviv.

In the most serious escalation in months, an Israeli missile attack also hit the home of an Islamic Jihad official in Damascus, Syrian state media said. The strike killed two people including one of the official’s sons, the group and Syrian state media said. Israel refused to comment.

As the sound of Palestinian rockets and Israeli air strikes echoed throughout Gaza and Israeli border areas, Islamic Jihad leader Khaled Al-Batsh spoke at the midday Gaza funeral of his slain fellow militant, Baha Abu Al-Atta. (RTRS)