Leading Islamic Jihad operatives killed in strike on media center
Air attack targets building hosting Hamas TV and international correspondents in which terrorists were said to be hiding
An Israeli airstrike Monday hit a Gaza building, used by Hamas TV and a number of local and foreign news organizations, in which the IDF said Islamic Jihad operatives were hiding. Three top Islamic Jihad operatives were reported killed.
Islamic Jihad sent a text message to reporters saying that Ramez Harb was killed in the strike Monday. The IDF spokesperson said four others — Baha Abu al Ata, Tyseer Mahmud Machmad Jaberi and Halil Baatini — used the building for hiding.
Harb was a leading figure in the Islamic Jihad’s militant wing, the Al Quds Brigades.
Witnesses said the strike hit a high-rise in downtown Gaza City which houses a few offices serving foreign correspondents.
Thick black smoke rose from the building Monday as ambulances rushed to the scene. Reports said as many as four people were killed.
The strike on the building was the second one in the past two days. The Hamas TV station, Al Aqsa, is located on the top floor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgdA3vtmCFQ
In the ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas, over 900 rockets were launched from Gaza into Israel. While most of the rockets heading for residential areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome system, one killed three Israelis in Kiryat Malachi. The IDF has attacked over 1,000 targets in the Strip, with Palestinians reporting over 90 people killed.
