Israel launched airstrikes on Gaza, which were met by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement firing a barrage of rockets, marking the most serious escalation of violence in the region since last year's war. Meanwhile, the Palestinian news agency "Wafa" reported on Saturday evening that several citizens were injured in an Israeli air raid on the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza and Rafah in the southern part of the strip, noting that the number of injuries rose to at least 10, most of them serious, including women and children.
The agency indicated that "Israeli planes targeted a group of citizens in the middle of the Jabalia camp with at least two missiles, resulting in several injuries." Additionally, a number of citizens were injured in an Israeli strike on a house in Rafah, southern Gaza. The Israeli army announced the assassination of Khaled Mansour, one of the prominent military leaders of Saraya al-Quds, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad movement, after targeting a house in Rafah city.
Israeli army spokesperson Avichai Adraee stated, "In a qualitative and joint operation by the Israeli army and Shin Bet in the Rafah area, Khaled Mansour, the leader of the southern region of the Islamic Jihad, was targeted." Mansour had previously survived multiple assassination attempts by the Israeli army. Earlier, the Ministry of Health announced that the death toll had risen to 15, including a 5-year-old girl, and 125 were injured due to Israeli airstrikes, while Israeli media reported that estimates indicated over 200 rockets had been launched from Gaza since yesterday.
Israel claimed that it was forced to initiate a "preemptive" operation against the "Islamic Jihad" and that the latter "was planning an imminent attack" following days of tension along the Gaza border. For its part, the "Islamic Jihad" confirmed that the Israeli bombing constituted a "declaration of war," before launching a barrage of rockets towards Israel.
Around six o'clock, a witness from "Reuters" reported that sirens sounded in Tel Aviv warning of rocket attacks from Gaza. There were no immediate reports of injuries, but at least three explosions were heard in the city, possibly resulting from intercepted rockets.
