The Israeli military disclosed that a senior Islamic Jihad commander was killed during a coordinated air and ground operation that has continued to unfold over several days. The operation, named Arrow and Shield, targeted militant networks in Jan Yunis, a city in the southern Gaza Strip, with early reports indicating a high level of activity around dawn on Thursday. The broader objective appeared to be disrupting the leadership and command structure of one of the organization’s more active factions and limiting the ability to launch further attacks from urban spaces nearby.
According to the Israel Defense Forces, the slain individual was Ali Ghali, whom they accuse of orchestrating recent rocket and mortar fire from the enclave. The IDF asserted that two additional people perished in the same strike, including individuals who were at home at the time of the bombardment, and they described these fatalities as confirmed by multiple sources on the ground. In the immediate aftermath, emergency workers faced the contentious task of managing a rapidly evolving scene where civilian casualties were reported from various neighborhoods, underscoring the enduring risk to residents in a densely populated border area. The IDF stressed that the operation was designed to degrade the group’s operational capabilities while warning nearby residents to seek shelter and follow official guidance to minimize danger.
Palestinian authorities and local news agencies offered corroboration of the toll, with Wafa reporting several deaths and numerous injuries as a consequence of the strikes. Emergency crews and medical teams reportedly worked to stabilize the wounded, transport the most seriously affected to medical facilities, and assess the broader impact on the civilian population. The Interior Ministry in Gaza confirmed that rescue teams were deployed to the affected districts, including areas around Khan Yunis and its outskirts, to provide medical care and security support. Observers noted that separate attacks targeted an uninhabited house and a vacant lot in the vicinity of Bani Suheila, highlighting the complexity and the geographic spread of the latest military actions in this sector. These developments come amid ongoing tensions in the region, where sporadic clashes, air raids, and ground incursions are shaping daily life for residents who must navigate a volatile security landscape with limited access to basic services and amplified concerns about safety and stability in the weeks ahead.