Multiple Israeli Attacks Against Gaza Strip Kill Five

Military Claims Top Salafist Militant Killed

Israeli warplanes launched at least three separate attacks against the Gaza Strip over a 24 hour period, killing five people, including one that the military identified as Hisham Saidani, who they called an ideological leader for several militant movements.

Saidani had been the leader of a small militant faction that was a rival of the Hamas government, and had been imprisoned in the past as the group carried out anti-Hamas attacks. Exactly how big his following was, however, is unclear, as many of the Gaza Salafist groups contain no more than a handful of members.

The rest of the dead included several members of the Popular Resistance Committees, which condemned Israel for the attacks and threatened retaliation, with the group issuing a statement saying “it’s time to pay the toll.”

Tensions have been on the rise between Israel and the strip since last weekend, when Israel attacked a motorcycle on a crowded street, hitting two militants but also wounding a number of schoolchildren.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.