Aircraft attacks Gaza rocket squad
Aircraft fires rockets at car carrying Islamic Jihad rocket-firing squad in northern Gaza Strip, wounding one gunman
An Israeli aircraft attacked a car carrying an Islamic Jihad rocket-firing squad in the Gaza Strip on Monday, wounding one gunman.
According to eyewitnesses, an innocent passerby was moderately wounded in the attack.
Wreckage of targeted vehicle (Photo: Reuters)
An Israeli military spokesman said the air strike, in the northern part of the territory, had targeted a vehicle carrying weapons.
Islamic Jihad, which has carried out numerous rockets attacks against Israel from the northern Gaza Strip, said one of its squads was on its way to a launch site when its car was attacked by an Israeli aircraft.
Describing the air strike as "an assassination attempt", the group said the men managed to flee before the vehicle was hit by a missile but one of the gunmen was wounded.
Israeli leaders have threatened to step up attacks against gunmen involved in the launching of homemade rockets from the Gaza Strip. An Israeli was wounded on Sunday when a rocket landed in the southern town of Sderot.
"Our organization will not be deterred by Israel's threats and the firing of rockets will continue so long Israel targets Palestinian activists in the territories and mainly in the West Bank," a senior member of the
Islamic Jihad's military wing told Ynet.
Islamic Jihad was not a party to a Gaza ceasefire agreed by Israel and several other armed groups last November.
Ali Waked contributed to this report
