Israel assassinates Islamic Jihad rocket commander in Gaza Strip

Israel has assassinated the commander of Islamic Jihad's rocket launch forces in the Gaza Strip in an overnight airstrike, dampening hopes of a swift ceasefire as fighting continued for a third day.

The Israeli military said it targeted Ali Ghali, the Islamic Jihad commander, inside a safe house in a predawn airstrike that also killed two other militants from the same group, The Telegraph reports.

His death was also confirmed in a statement by Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip.

"Ghali was responsible for directing and carrying out rocket fire at Israeli territory, including the recent barrages during Operation Shield and Arrow," a spokesman for the Israel Defence Forces said, using the name of its current conflict with Gaza. 

"Ghali was considered a central figure in the organization and dealt with its routine management."

It came as officials in Gaza said that 25 Palestinians had been killed by Israeli airstrikes so far and 76 people wounded.

The Israeli attack on Ghali was carried out despite reports on Wednesday night of both sides nearing an agreement on a ceasefire. 

Air raid sirens sounded in the south of Israel on the morning of May 11 as the country braced for more rocket fire in retaliation for Ghali's death.

The current round of fighting began early on May 9 morning, when an Israeli air strike killed three Islamic Jihad commanders and 10 civilians, including the commanders' wives and children.

Islamic Jihad responded by launching several waves of rockets at Israeli cities, including a large barrage on Tel Aviv.

Israeli officials say Palestinian militants in Gaza had fired around 500 rockets at Israel as of Thursday morning. 

No Israelis have been wounded so far as most rockets fired from Gaza are intercepted by the country's high-tech Iron Dome missile defence system.

The Israeli military also announced that a separate, mid-range air defence system, David's Sling, had for the first time successfully intercepted a rocket during the fighting on May 10.

The Israeli government has acknowledged that Egypt-led ceasefire talks were held overnight but claimed that Islamic Jihad had been insisting on dictating the terms. 

The militant group has reportedly said that an end to Israeli assassinations of its senior members is a condition of any ceasefire.

Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli military released footage of its forces calling off an airstrike in Gaza after they spotted children in the same area. 

The Israeli military also claimed that three Palestinian children had been killed by rockets falling short inside the Gaza Strip. 

There was no immediate response from militant groups in Gaza to the claim