Hamas military chief killed
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas yesterday said the head of its military wing, Ahmed Said Khalil al-Jabari, was killed in an Israeli air strike. Witnesses said he was travelling in a car in Gaza City when it exploded.
Israel's Shin Bet security service said Jabari was responsible for "all terrorist activities against Israel from Gaza" in the last decade.
Jabari is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since an Israeli offensive four years ago.
In recent days, Israeli officials had said they were considering assassinating senior figures in Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, following a wave of heavy rocket-fire.
The Israeli military has already carried out retaliatory air strikes in Gaza.
Since Saturday, four Palestinian civilians and three militants, including Jabari, have been killed in Gaza, and dozens injured. Eight Israelis have also been hurt.
The BBC's Jon Donnison in Gaza City says the sound of gunfire echoed through the streets after Wednesday's air strike, which killed Jabari.
There are fears the attack could lead to another war, he adds.
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