Iran Press/ Middle East: Hassani, known by his kunya Abu Anas, was in an apartment building near Gaza City when he came under Israeli army air assault.
Some reports suggested that he managed to escape at the last moment.
Hassani was Islamic Jihad’s operations chief and served as the head of the organization's military council. It was also reported that his personal assistant Mohammed Abed al-A'al was killed in the attack as well.
Hassani is one of the most prominent figures in the terrorist organization's military wing Al-Quds Brigades and has been wanted by Israel for over 26 years for his part in two terrorist attacks inside Israel before Al-Quds Brigades was annexed into Islamic Jihad and a series of additional attacks during the Second Intifada.
Israel assasinate PIJ commanders
Until Thursday, Three Islamic Jihad commanders and multiple family members were among the 13 Palestinians killed as Israeli jets and helicopters struck multiple targets in Gaza overnight.
Four women, four children, and two other civilians were among 13 people killed in Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip early on Tuesday, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Islamic Jihad identified the killed military leaders as Jihad Al-Ghanam, secretary of the military council, Khalil Al-Bahtimi, commander of Gaza’s northern region, and Tariq Ezz El-Din, a member of the military council in the West Bank.
Israel fears Hamas joining the fighting
Earlier Thursday, an Israeli defense official said that the IDF was preparing for the possibility that Hamas will join the fighting.
"The rope we're walking on is becoming thinner and the chances of Hamas getting involved are increasing,” the source said.
"We will continue to strike at Jihad Islamic. A ceasefire is not currently on the table."
The IDF said on Friday that since the beginning of Operation Shield and Arrow, 973 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel, 761 of which entered Israeli territory, and 296 were intercepted by Iron Dome and other defense systems. So far, the IDF has struck 254 targets in the Palestinian enclave.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians reported that 33 have been killed since the fighting began and 110 others were injured.
205
Al-Quds Brigades send a message by targeting Jerusalem al-Quds
