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Journalism of Courage
Israel killed the military chief of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in a Gaza City airstrike on Tuesday that drew vows of revenge and could complicate efforts to end a huge Israeli offensive.
Bashir Ad-Dabbash, 38, was the group’s leader in the Palestinian territories. He died alongside another militant one year and one day after the last big suicide bombing by the faction — when a Palestinian woman killed 23 Israelis at a restaurant.
The Israeli Army said in a statement that it had targeted the vehicle, adding that Dabbash was responsible for dozens of attacks on Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Meanwhile, an Israeli Army officer on Tuesday said Israel had arrested 13 UN employees in the Gaza Strip and planned to indict them for ‘‘suspected links to terrorism’’. He did not say when they were arrested. Israel is now demanding three straight ‘‘rocket-free’’ days as proof of the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to prevent such attacks, an Israeli security source said.
Palestinian militants had initially demanded an end to assassinations, though Israel refused, insiders said. —Reuters
