Islamic Jihad: New Details Emerge Regarding Attempt to Target Senior Commander in Gaza

Lebanon Today

Sources in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement reported the survival of a prominent leader in the “Al-Quds Brigades,” the military wing of the movement, from an Israeli assassination attempt by drone, on Saturday evening in the Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip.

The sources told “Al-Sharq Al-Awsat” that the raid targeted the leader (M.A.), who is responsible for running the affairs of the Central Brigade in the Al-Quds Brigades, and confirmed that he survived the attack unharmed.

For its part, the Israeli army announced that it carried out a “targeted” raid on Saturday evening against a member of the Islamic Jihad movement in the central Gaza Strip, justifying this by claiming that he was planning to attack Israeli forces, despite the ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump.

In response, the Islamic Jihad movement issued a statement accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire, considering that what was stated in the Israeli army’s statement about preparing for a new attack was a “false claim and a fabrication to justify the aggression.” The movement called on the mediators to assume their responsibilities and pressure Israel to stop these attacks, which “may require responses from the resistance.”

The movement’s sources explained that the missile used was directed at the targeted leader’s phone, but he did not have it at the moment of the strike, which led to the injury of his personal correspondent (mail carrier) and a number of civilians, while the leader, who was a few meters away from the bombing site, survived.

The sources reported that the attack occurred at seven in the evening in one of the side streets inside the Nuseirat camp, and directly targeted a motorcycle and a vehicle, resulting in the injury of a number of citizens.

The sources revealed that the targeted leader had previously survived several Israeli assassination attempts, including two during the last war on Gaza, one of which resulted in his injury and the death of 14 Palestinians, while another killed a number of his wife’s family members.

It is worth noting that the leader has been one of the prominent figures in “Islamic Jihad” since 2000, and has participated in attacks against Israeli targets over the past two decades.

Sources close to the leader denied the Israeli account that he was planning a new attack, confirming that the operation represents “repeated pretexts” to apply the “Lebanese model” in Gaza, by targeting faction cadres under the pretext of preventing security threats.

The Jihad sources considered the assassination attempt to be a warning bell for what they described as “clear Israeli intentions to resume the policy of assassinations,” noting that the movement’s leadership is following developments with regional mediators who confirmed their work to prevent the recurrence of violations.

According to field reports, Israel has intensified its intelligence activity in the central Gaza Strip after the ceasefire, at a time when American surveillance planes are participating in monitoring operations, according to the “New York Times” newspaper.

These developments come despite Israeli reports that any air strike in Gaza is not carried out without the approval of US forces stationed at a site near Kiryat Gat in southern Israel.

It is noteworthy that the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas entered into force on the tenth of this current October, ending a war that lasted for about two years, while the two sides have been exchanging accusations of violating the understandings since then.