A number of senior officials in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist movement were killed in strikes by the IAF in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday morning, according to initial reports.
غارات الاحتلال على موقع حطين غرب مدينة خانيونس pic.twitter.com/3vVMlobJvp
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At least nine Palestinians were killed in the strikes, according to Palestinian reports, with a number of sites in Gaza City and Khan Yunis targeted, among other locations.
Schools and roads closed, shelters opened in southern Israel
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant declared a special situation in the home front, issuing a series of restrictions on communities in southern Israel.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced the closure of the Erez and Kerem Shalom crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel after the strikes began.
The Home Front Command has directed residents of communities in southern Israel to stay near shelters and banned any gatherings in open places of over 10 people and in closed buildings of over 100 people. All schools in communities in the Lachish region, in communities near the Gaza border and in the western and central Negev will be closed on Tuesday as well.
ISLAMIC JIHAD members take part in an anti-Israel rally in Rafah, Gaza Strip, after Operation Breaking Dawn. (credit: SUHAIB SALEM/REUTERS)Bomb shelters have been opened in a number of towns in cities in southern Israel in light of the situation, including Ashkelon and Beersheba. Roads in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip have been closed to civilian traffic.
Strikes come less than a week after heavy rocket fire
The strikes come less than a week after over 100 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel after the death of PIJ official Khader Adnan, who had been on hunger strike for over 80 days while under Israeli custody.
Since the rocket fire last week, the Otzma Yehudit party has demanded a stronger response to the violence from Gaza, boycotting votes and government meetings until such a response was carried out. After the strikes began on Tuesday morning, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, the head of the party, published a tweet reading “It’s about time!”
Last August, the IDF launched Operation Breaking Dawn against the Gaza Strip after the PIJ issued threats against Israel after the arrest of an official in the movement in the West Bank. A number of high-ranking officials in the PIJ were assassinated in the operation and over 1,000 rockets were fired toward Israel.
This is a developing story.
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