Health authorities in Palestinian enclave report 12 dead in Israeli attacks targeting Islamic Jihad
Israel has bombed the Gaza Strip for a second day in what it described as a “pre-emptive operation” against a Palestinian militant group, in the worst escalation of violence since last year’s 11-day war.
Israeli warplanes hit several sites in the blockaded territory on Friday, part of a surprise operation named “Breaking Dawn” that the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said thwarted alleged planned rocket attacks by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. While it sometimes acts independently, Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, the Islamist group that rules the strip.
