An Israeli airstrike killed Iyad al-Hassani—also spelled Iyad Alhassani—the “most senior” Palestinian Islamic Jihad figure in the Gaza Strip, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, confirmed on Twitter on Friday night in Israel.
This is the sixth Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader killed since the start of “Operation Shield and Arrow.”
“Al-Hassani was appointed two days ago to replace Khalil Bahitini, and now two days later, he is no longer with us,” Hagari wrote in Hebrew.
“We continue as long as necessary to attack those who plan to shoot us, and we are strong in defense,” he added. He noted that the targeting of al-Hassani was a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation and shared video footage of the strike.
