In a statement on Tuesday, the Islamic Jihad’s military wing, Al-Quds Brigades, confirmed the death of its commander, Baha Abu al-Ata, 42, in an Israeli aerial assault on his Gaza home early on Tuesday, Press TV reported.
The movement vowed a major response to the assassination of its commander, who, as the statement stressed, was heroically defending the Palestinian land against conspiracies prior to his martyrdom.
The movement also vowed to continue in the footsteps of its assassinated commander in order to “complete the process of liberation of entire beloved Palestine. Our response will inevitably shock the Zionist entity.”
Meanwhile, the Israeli army confirmed in a statement its strike against a building where Ata was present in Gaza’s Shejaiya area.
The operation, it added, had been recommended by the Chief of Staff and Shin Bet domestic security service, and approved by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
It also blamed Ata for recent rocket, drone and sniper attacks against Israel, as well as attempted infiltration into the occupied territories, claiming that he was planning “imminent” attacks.
“Abu al-Ata was responsible for most of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s activity in the Gaza Strip and was a ticking bomb,” the Israeli army said.
Separately, the Hamas resistance movement said Israel “bears full responsibility for all consequences of this escalation” and pledged that al-Ata’s death “will not go unpunished.”
The assassination is likely to fuel tensions between Tel Aviv and Gaza, which has been under a crippling siege by Israel since 2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008.
MNA/PR
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