Islamic Jihad commander killed in airstrike, Israel says

Israel on Monday said Islamic Jihad commander Hussam Abu Harbeed was killed in an airstrike on Gaza City, a development that is expected to result in an intense response from the military group fighting alongside Hamas.

According to Reuters, the Israeli military said in a statement that Harbeed had been “behind several anti-tank missile terror attacks against Israeli civilians.” The military also claimed 60 rockets had been fired at Israeli cities from Gaza, a sharp decrease from the 120 to 200 that were fired in the previous nights.

A medic told Reuters that at least three Palestinians were also killed in the most recent round of Israeli airstrikes on Gaza City. Gaza health officials estimate the death toll to be around 201 people, including 58 children. According to authorities, ten people have been killed in Israel.

The recent airstrikes on Monday also targeted miles of military tunnels in Gaza as well as the homes of nine Hamas commanders, though they were unlikely to be home at the time due to going underground when the fighting began.

“My children couldn’t sleep all night even after the wave of intensive bombing stopped,” Umm Naeem, a mother of five, told Reuters as she bought bread in Gaza City. “What is happening to us is too much, but Jerusalem deserves all the sacrifices.”

In the U.S., calls from Democratic and progressive lawmakers have increased for the Biden administration to call for a cease-fire. The U.S. has so far blocked efforts made by China, Norway and Tunisia to release a joint United Nations Security Council statement to call for a cease-fire.