The various terrorist groups based in the Gaza Strip have raised their level of alert for fear of more targeted killings by Israel in response to rocket fire on Ashkelon this week, Palestinian sources in Gaza said Friday morning,
The sources, who are affiliated with unspecified terrorist groups in Gaza, told the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is identified with Hezbollah, that Israel's response to the rocket fired at Ashkelon had focused on maritime targets belonging to Hamas' marine forces.
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Another facility, located west of Khan Younis, and several multistory building belonging to Hamas' maritime police were also targeted.
According to the report in Al-Akhbar, the organizations in Gaza fear another targeted attack like the one that killed Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Baha Abu al-Ata in November. The groups say they have evacuated their personnel from sites the IDF is likely to strike.
Following the strike that took out al-Ata, the IDF said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had authorized the operation, on the grounds that al-Ata was responsible for rocket, drone, and sniper attacks against Israel, as well as attempted infiltrations into the country.
"Abu Al-Ata was responsible for most of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad's activity in the Gaza Strip and was a ticking bomb," the statement said, accusing Al-Ata of planning "imminent terror attacks through various means."
Lilach Shoval contributed to this report.
