Top Islamic Jihad commander killed in Gaza as Israel steps up bombardment

A senior Palestinian commander with the Islamic Jihad group was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Monday, a source within the group confirmed to The New Arab’s Arabic language site and a statement by the Israeli said.

The death of Hussam Abu Harbeed, Islamic Jihad’s armed commander for north Gaza, is likely to escalate the violence in the region, as Israel’s aggression on the enclave rages on despite growing international concern.

In a statement confirming it killed Harbeed, the Israeli military alleged he "was behind several anti-tank missile terror attacks against Israeli civilians”.

Harbeed was allegedly involved in an attack on the first day of the current round of fighting that injured one Israeli, the statement added.

Meanwhile, Gaza reeled on Monday after Israeli jets pounded the besieged enclave, where a relentless bombardment has killed at least 200 Palestinians, including 59 children.

Before dawn, in the space of mere minutes, dozens of Israeli strikes bombarded the crowded Palestinian coastal strip controlled by Hamas.

Flames lit up the sky as intense explosions shook Gaza city, sparking widespread power cuts and damaging hundreds of buildings, local authorities said.

As well as strikes from the air, Israeli artillery guns surrounding Gaza have also been firing barrages of shells.

The renewed strikes come a day after 42 Palestinians in Gaza - including at least eight children and two doctors, according to the health ministry - were killed in the worst daily death toll in the enclave since the bombardments began.

At least 200 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since May 10, including 59 children and 35 women, while more than 1,300 have been injured.

In the occupied West Bank, 21 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and 4,363 have been wounded, after demonstrations broke out in response to the bombing of besieged Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.

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