Following the elimination of three senior Islamic Jihad officials, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday morning the mobilization of IDF reserves. In addition, Gallant approved the activation of the Breeze program, which allows the residents of the Gaza Strip to seek respite in guest houses throughout the country. The National Emergency Authority personnel at the defense ministry are now updating the heads of municipal councils in the Gaza Envelope settlements on how the plan will be implemented.
Assassinations of senior terrorists in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist movement were carried out by the IDF in the Gaza Strip earlier today.
The Gazan leadership of the al-Quds Brigades responsible for terrorist activities in Judea-Samaria were neutralised. pic.twitter.com/ozrBqvcypI
— RedBrasco – RedLehi (@redbrasco) May 9, 2023
According to Kan 11 News, the elimination operation was initially planned for last weekend, but was postponed at the last minute due to weather considerations, and was finally carried out overnight Tuesday.
The Gaza Health Ministry reported its teams are “still evacuating the martyrs from the targeted areas.”
In addition to eliminating the three senior commanders, the IDF’s Operation Shield and Arrow targeted several sites dedicated to the production and storage of weapons and military equipment, as well as Jihad military encampments.
According to Al Quds, Secretary of the Military Council of the Al-Quds Brigades, Jihad Ghannam, 62, was hit in his house in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Commander of the northern region in the Al -Quds Brigades, Khalil Al-Bahtini, 44, and Tariq Ezzedine, a member of the Political Bureau who was released in the 2011 Gilad Shalit deal. The three high-ranking jihadists were planning to go to talks in Cairo, and according to Al Quds, after it was decided to go to the talks, the three returned to their homes to say goodbye to their families – and then they were eliminated.
The three apartments were attacked at 2 AM Tuesday, within seconds of one another. Twelve individuals were killed altogether, including the three commanders’ family members.
Al Quds also reported that “the Islamic Jihad movement mourned its martyrs, threatening the occupation with a harsh response.”
Hence the mobilization of reserves.
