GAZA CITY: More than 15 people were killed in air strikes launched by the Zionist entity on the Gaza Strip Friday. A child was among those killed in the strikes, the enclave's health ministry said.
The Zionist entity's army said the strikes were part of an operation "against targets in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad" group. The Islamic Jihad said the Zionist entity had "started a war against our people".
"We collectively must defend ourselves and our people. We will not allow the enemy's policy of undermining the resistance and our national perseverance," the group said in a statement.
The Islamic Jihad leader vowed to target Tel Aviv after the strike. "The Zionist enemy started this aggression and it must expect us to fight non-stop... There will be no truce after this bombing," Ziad al-Nakhala told Lebanon's Al-Mayadeen television channel from Tehran, where he has been visiting in recent days. "There are no red lines in this battle... Tel Aviv will also be one of the targets of the resistance's missiles... as will all Zionist cities," he said.
Flames poured out of a building in Gaza City following an air strike, while wounded Palestinians were evacuated by medics. Gaza's health ministry reported "a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation" was among those killed.
The Islamic Jihad said it was mourning "the great jihadist commander Tayseer al-Jabari 'Abu Mahmud', who was killed in a Zionist assassination in Gaza City".
"We collectively must defend ourselves and our people. We will not allow the enemy's policy of undermining the resistance and our national perseverance," the group said in a statement.
Flames poured out of a building in Gaza City following an air strike, while wounded Palestinians were evacuated by medics.
Gaza's health ministry reported "a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation" was among those killed.
A Zionist entity military spokesman said "we are assuming about 15 killed in action" in Gaza, referring to Palestinian combatants. "We haven't finished yet," spokesman Richard Hecht told journalists.
The strikes come four days after the Zionist entity closed its two border crossings with Gaza and restricted the movement of Zionist entity civilians living near the frontier, citing security concerns.
The measures follow the arrest in the occupied West Bank of two senior members of Islamic Jihad, which has a strong presence in Gaza.
Hamas, the militant group which rules Gaza, said the Zionist entity has "committed a new crime for which it must pay the price".
"The resistance in all its military arms and factions is united in this struggle and will speak loudly, as we cannot accept the situation as it is... all fronts must open fire on the enemy," Hamas said in a statement.
On Friday afternoon, the Zionist entity's military banned large gatherings in communities within 80 kilometres (50 miles) of the Gaza frontier, until Saturday evening. The measures follow four days of road closures and other restrictions on movement in the border area.
Palestinians including patients and those with work permits have been prevented from leaving the Gaza Strip since Tuesday, while the goods crossing has also been shut.
Gaza's only power station is at risk of imminent outage due to a lack of fuel supplies through the Zionist entity, its manager warned on Thursday.
This week's shutdown of the border area follows a raid by security forces in the northern West Bank district of Jenin. Zionist entity forces detained Bassem al-Saadi and another senior member of Islamic Jihad. A 17-year-old member of the group was shot dead by entity forces during the raid.