November 12, 2019: Baha’ Abu al-‘Ata, 42, was killed in an extra-judicial assassination by the Israeli airforce, which killed him along with his wife in an airstrike targeting his home in the Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city, also wounding many members of their family, in addition to a female neighbor. Baha’ was a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad Movement.
The Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad in Palestine, said the army assassinated Baha’ and his wife Asma’ Abu al-Ata, in addition to wounding their siblings, Salim, Mohammad, Lian, and Fatima az-Zahra’, in addition to their neighbor Hanan Hallas.
All wounded Palestinians were rushed to the Shifa Medical Center in Gaza.
In an official statement, the al-Quds Brigades confirmed the death of Abu al-‘Ata, and said he was one of its prominent leaders and personally supervised various attacks against the Israeli army, and added that he was also subject to numerous assassination attempts by Israel.
The Brigades also stated that Israel is declaring war, and that Tel Aviv will witness the retaliation and the repercussions of this assassination.
“Our response will be huge; the enemy is responsible for the outcome of its crimes, and will pay for them,” the brigades added.
The brigades started firing shells into Israel almost an hour after the army assassinated its leader and his wife.
In addition, the Hamas movement and its military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, also issued statements vowing “fierce and painful retaliation.”
Israeli sources have reported that alarm sirens were sounded in many areas south of the country, including in Ashdod, Ashkelon Beit Elazari, Karmia, and Zikim, Rishon Le Zion, and even in Holon and Rishon Le Zion suburbs in Tel Aviv.
Israel daily Haaretz has reported that all schools were canceled, and bomb shelters were opened in Tel Aviv and many surrounding areas, and in Jerusalem.
It is worth mentioning that the Israeli army, and the Shin Bet, issued a joint statement claiming responsibility for assassinating the senior Islamic Jihad leader, and added that the strike was approved by Israeli Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu’s office said the offensive was recommended by the Israeli Army Chief of Staff and the Shin Bet (Israel’s internal security service) and was approved by Netanyahu.
The strike came just hours before Netanyahu is scheduled to hand the defense portfolio to Naftali Bennet from the Hayamin Hehadash (The New Right) party.
In related news, the Israeli army closed all border terminals in the besieged Gaza Strip and decreased the fishing zone to six nautical miles.
All schools in Gaza were closed amidst mounting tension of a possible massive Israeli offensive against the coastal region.
It is worth mentioning that on the same day, the Israeli Air Force also carried out an attempted assassination attack targeted a Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader in the Syrian capital, Damascus, but instead killed his son.
Syrian sources said the assassination attempt targeted Akram al-Ajjouri, but led to the death of his son Moath, in addition to another person, and injured ten others, including his daughter Batoul.
Following the assassination, Israeli forces carried out numerous airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, killing a total of 10 (including Baha’ and his wife), and wounding 45.
Baha’ was from Sheja’eyya area, east of Gaza city. Source: IMEMC
November 11, 2019: Omar Haitham al-Badawi, 22, was killed by Israeli soldiers in the al-‘Arroub refugee camp, north of Hebron, in the southern part of the occupied West Bank.
November 2, 2019: Bara’ Adel al-‘Amour, 30, a fighter with the al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas movement, died from serious wounds he suffered during the Israeli war on Gaza in the summer of 2014.
November 2, 2019: Ahmad Mohammad Shahri, 27, was killed, on Saturday at dawn, and three others were injured, in Khan Younis, in the southern part of the coastal region. The army also fired many missiles into several areas in the Gaza Strip, after alleging that “projectiles were fired from Gaza.”