JERUSALEM, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- An Israeli airstrike in Gaza on Wednesday killed the commander of the Islamic Jihad's northern Gaza brigade, Israeli security authorities said.
In a joint statement, the Israeli military and the Shin Bet security agency said Ali Raziana was killed in an airstrike conducted in retaliation for earlier gunfire in Gaza that seriously wounded an Israeli officer.
Gaza health officials said at least 24 people, including children, were killed and at least 38 others wounded in a broader wave of retaliatory airstrikes.
The Israeli statement said Raziana was responsible for the brigade's deployment and defense plans and for coordinating attacks with Hamas against Israeli forces.
The Israeli military said earlier that a separate strike in southern Gaza targeted Hamas platoon commander Bilal Abu Assi, who it said led an assault on a kibbutz during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the Gaza conflict. The military did not say whether Abu Assi was killed.
The violence came despite a ceasefire that took effect on Oct. 10. Israeli fire has killed at least 556 Palestinians since then, Gaza health officials said on Wednesday. ■
