'Pillar of Defense' military operation: Hamas Chief of Staff assassinated in Gaza

The IDF began the 'Pillar of Defense' military operation, which approved the assassination of a list of top targets in the Gaza Strip, as well as strategic infrastructure of terrorism. The military operation began successfully with the targeted assassination of Hamas chief of staff, Ahmed Jabari.

According to unverified reports, another Hamas senior was assassinated at the southern Gaza Strip, near Rafah. According to the report, the terrorist Raed Attar commander of the Rafah who is considered one of the five seniors of Hamas was killed.

Attar was responsible for directing the tunnels along the Philadelphia route, firing at Eilat and planning the kidnapping of Gilad Schalit. Hamas denies the assassination.
In addition, the IDF attacked many locations in Gaza, so far it has been reported that at least nine Palestinians were killed. Some of the attacks hit the pits and Fajar launch missiles infrastructure, which can reach up to Tel Aviv. Majority of targets were hit. Overall over 20 holes launching infrastructures were destroyed. So far the death toll by the airstrike on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip totals up to 9 dead, including two children under five, and a number of wounded, reaching up to 30.

The operation began at around 14:00, after four rockets exploded inside Eshkol Regional Council area. An hour and a half later, another rocket exploded in the area. At first it was suspected that the shooting was from Sinai territory, but the defense unit estimated that the rockets were fired from the Dahaniye area in the Gaza Strip, near Israel's border with Egypt, in order to mislead the IDF identification and disclosure of the source of the launch.

After the shooting, a little before 16:00, Palestinians reported that a car exploded in Gaza City, at Samar intersection, near Shifa Hospital, and two people were injured and killed. It quickly became clear that those assassinated were Ahmed Jabari, a multi senior terrorist in the Gaza Strip, who is defined as Hamas chief of staff who was involved in planning and implementing dozens of attacks and kidnapping of SFC Gilad Shalit. He was killed with one of his sons.

Jabari was formally deputy of Muhammad Daff, but in recent years was in charge of all military activities of Hamas. Hamas confirmed the assassination of Jabari, and said in response to the elimination: "We are now in an open war with Israel. We will burn Tel Aviv tonight."

The IDF said that the chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, approved an extensive program to directly attack Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip, called the 'Pillar of Defense'. IDF are preparing for a ground operation into the Gaza Strip. A number of infantry divisions have been assembled and are awaiting instructions from above. Simultaneously the IDF have begun sending orders for recruiting no. 8 commands.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!