Bilal Mohammad al-Banna

May 5, 2019: Bilal Mohammad al-Banna, 23, was one of three young Palestinian men killed by Israeli missile strikes east of Gaza city, amidst ongoing Israeli bombardment and shelling targeting several parts of the coastal region.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said the Israeli missiles killed Bilal Mohammad al-Banna, 23, and Abdullah Nofal Abu al-‘Ata, 21, in the Sheja’eyya neighborhood, east of Gaza city.

It added that the soldiers also killed one Palestinian, identified as Hamed Ahmad al-Khodary, 34, and injured three others, after the army fired missiles targeting al-Khodary’s car in the ad-Daraj neighborhood in Gaza city.

They were among many Palestinians targeted by the Israeli missiles, leading to several injuries, and serious property damage.

His death was a targeted assassination, as Israel claims he was in charge of funneling money from Iran to the Hamas movement in Gaza.

In addition, Israeli sources said one Israeli man, 50, suffered a critical injury when a Palestinian shell directly struck his car near Kibbutz Erez, and added that a house was directly hit with a shell in Be’er as-Sabe’ (Beersheba).

Israeli online daily, Haaretz, has reported that two Israelis suffered critical wounds, and two others were seriously injured, on Saturday afternoon, by Palestinian shells in Ashkelon (Asqalan). According to Haaretz, the army spokesperson said the military has struck 260 “targets” in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

In addition, Israeli Channel 7 News said Palestinian shells struck a factory in Ashkelon (Asqalan) on Sunday, killing two Israelis, 49 and 22 years of age, who remained unidentified at the time of this report, and one man was moderately injured.

An Israel man, identified as Moshe Adadi, 58, was also killed in the early hours of Sunday morning by a shell fired from the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli missiles and shells continued to strike Palestinian homes, residential buildings, infrastructure, farmlands, roads and public facilities, in addition to media agencies, in several parts of the Gaza Strip throughout the day and night.

Earlier Sunday, the Health Ministry said the soldiers killed Mahmoud Sobhi Issa, 26, and Fawzi Abdul-Halim Bawadi, 24, in the al-Boreij refugee camp. Both are members of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad.

It is worth mentioning that, as reported by Haaretz at the time of this report, nine Israelis were injured by shrapnel from Palestinian shells, among them a woman, 80, who suffered serious wounds, and a man, 50, who suffered moderate wounds.In addition, an Israeli man, identified as Moshe Adadi, 58, was killed by shrapnel from a shell fired from Gaza into Ashkelon. He is the first Israeli to be killed by a Palestinian shell since the deadly massive Israeli war on Gaza in the summer of 2014.

Although the total number of injured Israelis, in the part 24 hours, was set at 115 at the time of this report, and three were killed.  Among the injured many who were “hurt while running to shelters” and 60 were treated for “panic attacks.”

Haaretz said three of the wounded Israelis suffered serious wounds, and one was moderately injured, 53 lightly wounded, and 55 “treated for shock,” and twenty-eight are in the emergency room and nine are hospitalized.

In addition, Israeli Ynet News has reported that the army has ordered the deployment of a brigade of the Armored Corps along the perimeter with Gaza, in anticipation of further military escalation. 

On Saturday, the Israeli army killed a pregnant Palestinian mother, identified as Falasteen Saleh Abu Arar, 37, and her baby girl, Saba Mahmoud Abu Arar, 14 months, after firing a missile at their home in Gaza city.

Furthermore, the soldiers killed another Palestinian, identified as Khaled Mohammad Abu Qleiq, 25, after the army fired several missiles into areas in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza.

More than ninety Palestinians, including many women and children, have been injured by Israeli missiles and shells in Gaza.

Among the targeted buildings was “Abdullah al-Hourani Center for Studies and Documentation” which is run by Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), located in a residential building in Gaza city

The Israeli bombardment also caused damage to several shops and stores, in addition to media agencies, including the Turkish Anadolu News Agency.

Earlier Saturday, the soldiers killed one Palestinian, identified as Emad Mohammad Nosseir, 22, from Beit Hanoun, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, the soldiers killed two Palestinians during the Great Return March processions, and later killed two members of the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

Bilal was from Gaza City, in the central Gaza Strip. Source: IMEMC