Local reports in Gaza said Israeli planes fired at open area near the incident (AFP/filephoto)
Israeli forces killed a commander in Hamas's military wing in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian officials in the Strip said on Sunday, according. Six people were killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, and seven wounded.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a visit to Paris and was returning to Israel after the violence erupted, a spokesman said. Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman was holding consultations at Israel's military headquarters, his office said in a statement cited by Reuters.
"During operational activity in the Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire evolved. More details to follow," an Israeli army statement said.
Palestinian security sources said the clash occurred east of Khan Yunis. Local reports in Gaza said Israeli planes fired at an open area near the incident.
Woah: Israel reportedly kills senior #Gaza commander: “an elite Israeli force, some dressed in womens clothing, entered Khan Younis and killed a senior Qassem Brigade commander. Reports say 2 sides then began exchanging fire,Israeli aircraft then struck” https://t.co/wm2RtHqqO9
— Bel Trew (@Beltrew) November 11, 2018
In a statement, Hamass armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said Israeli undercover forces in a civilian vehicle infiltrated three kilometers into Gaza and fatally shot one of its commanders, the Wahington Post reported. It said militants discovered the car and chased it down, prompting Israeli airstrikes that killed “a number of people.”
A Hamas spokesman denounced a "cowardly Israeli attack."
After the clash erupted, sirens were reported in southern Israel, indicating rocket fire from the Gaza Strip, AFP said.
Residents of Israeli communities near Gaza said the scope of these airstrikes was exceptional and “sounded almost like a war,” Haaretz said. The Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted at lease two projectiles during the subsequent exchange of fire. Residents of Gaza border communities received directions to remain near shelter.
Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said all Israeli soldiers involved had returned to Israel. "IDF operated in the Gaza Strip, exchange of gunfire ensued," he wrote on Twitter, referring to the Israel Defence Forces. "All IDF soldiers back in Israel. Several alarms have sounded in southern Israel."
Gaza's Health Ministry reported the slain Palestinians were: Hamas commander Nour al-Din Muhammad Salama Baraka, 37; Mohammed Majid Mousa Al-Qara, 23; Alaa al-Din Muhammad Qwaider, 22; Mustafa Hassan Mohammed Abu Odeh, 21; Mahmoud Attallah Musabeh 25, and Alaa Fawzi Mohammed Fseifes, 19.
The violence may have shattered a potential turning point after months of bloodshed along the Israel-Gaza fence, where at least 218 Palestinians have been killed, and more than 23,000 others wounded since the beginning of protests on 30 March.
In late October, Israel and Qatar reached an agreement for Doha to send funds to pay Gaza's civil servants, who hadn't been paid since September 2013.
Qatar announced that a first $15m instalment – out of a $90m total payout – was to be delivered on Friday and go to paying the salaries of employees working for the Hamas-led authorities in Gaza.
The Qatari funds also went to pay for emergency fuel supplies, which are expected to increase the number of hours of electricity available in Gaza from four to nearly 10 per day.
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