Gaza City–Hamas says a senior commander of its military wing has been killed in an Israeli air strike.
Israeli warplanes launched missiles against five Hamas targets late on Friday and early Saturday, in response to a rocket attack on the Israeli coastal city of Ashkelon. Friday’s strike against Ashkelon had caused damage but no injuries.
The violence comes after weeks of relative calm, raising concerns of new escalation.
Hamas identified the slain man as Issa Batran, a commander of its military wing in central Gaza and a rocket maker. Hamas says eight of its supporters and three civilians were also wounded.
Hamas has been firing crude rockets at Israel for a decade, but largely held its fire since Israel’s military offensive against Gaza 19 months ago.
