Israeli airstrike kills top Hamas leader, his kin

Gaza, October 19

Israel pounded locations across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, including parts of the south that Israel had declared as safe zones, heightening fears among more than 2 million Palestinians trapped in the territory that nowhere was safe.

In one of the airstrikes, the head of the Hamas-led national security forces, Jehad Mheisen, and members of his family were killed, a Hamas-aligned news agency said on Thursday.

In the nearly two weeks since the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel, the Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in response.

Even after Israel told Palestinians to evacuate the north and head to what it called “safe zones” in the south, strikes continued across the territory overnight and Palestinian militants continued firing rockets into Israel.

A residential building in Khan Younis, a city in southern Gaza where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians had sought shelter, was among the places hit.

Medical personnel at Nasser Hospital said they received at least 12 dead and 40 wounded.

The bombardments came after Israel agreed Wednesday to allow Egypt to deliver limited humanitarian aid to Gaza, the first crack in a punishing 11-day siege.

Many among Gaza’s 2.3 million residents are down to one meal a day and drinking dirty water. The announcement of a plan to bring water, food and other supplies into Gaza came as fury over a Tuesday night explosion at Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital spread across the Middle East. — Agencies

Head of national security forces

In one of the airstrikes, the head of the Hamas-led national security forces, Jehad Mheisen, and members of his family were killed. In nearly two weeks since the devastating Hamas rampage in southern Israel, the Israeli military has relentlessly attacked Gaza in response