Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander killed in Israeli strikes

In a continued attack by the Israeli army on Gaza in the early hours of Thursday, nearly 24 Palestinians including a top Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander were killed, Al Jazeera reported.

Among the killed also included five women and five children.

The southern Gaza Strip neighbourhood of Khan Younis was the focus of the strike conducted early hours of Thursday, targeting a commander of a rocket unit, Al Jazeera reported quoting Israeli forces.

Ali Ghali, the commander of a rocket launch team, was killed in the southern Gaza Strip in the Israeli pre-dawn strike, according to a statement from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. reported Al Jazeera.

The Israeli army tweeted, "OPERATIONAL UPDATE: We just targeted Ali Ghali, the commander of Islamic Jihad's Rocket Launching Force, as well as two other Islamic Jihad operatives in Gaza."

"Ghali was a central figure in IJ, as well as responsible for the recent rocket barrages launched against Israel," the tweet added further.

Ghali was a central figure in the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad.

The southern Gaza Strip neighbourhood of Khan Younis was the focus of the strike, which, according to Al Jazeera as per the Palestinian media accounts, killed numerous persons, including an Islamic Jihad commander.

According to the Israeli Army, over 300 rockets were fired at civilians across the country, as civilians in cities like Tel Aviv ran to shelters for safety.

At least 12 people were killed in the air raids on Gaza Strip by Israel's military on Tuesday, Al Jazeera reported, adding that 20 others sustained injuries in an early morning operation.

At around 2 am (local time) on Tuesday (23:00 GMT on Monday), explosions targeting residential flats were reported throughout Gaza. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) movement said that three of its leaders were killed, including their wives and several children, according to Al Jazeera.

Dozens of strikes were reported across the Strip in the ensuing hours, sending fireballs skyward as the army targeted terror training sites. The army called the campaign 'Operation Shield and Arrow'.

The bombings came after Adnan, a Palestinian Islamic Jihad activist, passed away last week after going on a hunger strike for almost three months.