The Jerusalem Post reports that Operation Breaking Dawn so far seems to have more in common with Operation Black Belt in which Al-Ata was killed and Hamas chose not to get openly involved.
Operation Breaking Dawn, which started on Friday, was reportedly a long time in the making.
Israel’s southern communities had been in a lockdown since last Tuesday after Israeli security forces arrested Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior member Bassam al-Saadi in Jenin.
According to The Jerusalem Post, residents of the South, who were held virtual hostages afterwards, now know why: Such intelligence and preparation also enabled the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Friday to kill Islamic Jihad’s top commander in Gaza, Tayseer al-Jabari, in a precise operation and thwart a ticking time bomb: He was reportedly involved in planning imminent major attacks on Israel, including the use of lethal anti-tank missiles close to the border.
Jabari replaced Baha Abu Al-Ata, who was killed in a similar airstrike in November 2019. Other senior Islamic Jihad figures were killed in well-conducted strikes over the weekend, including Islamic Jihad’s southern division commander Khaled Mansour.
The BBC says at least 10 people have been killed by Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip, including a top commander of a Palestinian militant group. Local health officials said a young girl was among the dead with dozens of others wounded.
According to the BBC, Israel's PM said the operation followed "an immediate threat" by Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) after the arrest of one of its members early last week.
The PIJ reportedly fired more than 100 rockets into Israel "in an initial response".
Most were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome missile defense shield.
Meanwhile, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported yesterday that the Palestinian death toll from Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip rose to 41.
A statement released by the Palestinian Health Ministry said 15 children and four women were among the victims, while 311 people were injured in the attacks.
Reuters reports that Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group declared a truce late on Sunday, raising hopes of an end to the most serious flare-up on the Gaza frontier in more than a year.
It was announced in separate statements by Islamic Jihad and then Israel, who both thanked Egypt for mediating the ceasefire.
Israeli forces pounded Palestinian targets through the weekend, triggering rocket attacks against its cities, which largely tapered off by the time the truce came into effect at 23:30 (20:30 GMT).
