Israel targets Hamas and Islamic Jihad commanders in Gaza airstrikes

The Israeli military and the Shin Bet internal security service carried out airstrikes overnight and into Saturday, January 31, targeting four commanders and other militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.

According to a statement from the army’s press service, the strikes were in response to a violation of the ceasefire agreement the previous day, when eight militants were detected emerging from a tunnel east of Rafah.

During the operation, Israeli forces also struck a weapons depot, a facility used to manufacture arms, and two Hamas launch sites in the central part of the enclave.

The army said in its statement that militant groups in Gaza systematically violate international law by using civilian infrastructure and the civilian population as “human shields” for terrorist activities.

By Tamilla Hasanova