Direct hit on Chabad kindergarten in Sderot; senior jihadist killed

May 17, 2021   

Operation 'Guardian of the Walls' continues: The IDF today (Monday) eliminated the commander of the Islamic Jihad's Northern Brigade, after attacking about 35 Hamas terror targets throughout Shavuot night, as part of a widespread wave of attacks against the Gaza 'metro'. What are your chances of winning a duplex? And why is your dream closer than ever? What do you say about white chocolate with cookie crumbs? And what about a tasty snack? The attack on the "Metro" in the northern Gaza Strip was carried out by 54 fighter jets for about 20 minutes, using about 110 precision munitions. As part of the attack, about 15 kilometers of terror tunnels were attacked. This is an attack that is part of the IDF's operation to significantly damage the underground network of the various terrorist organizations in the Strip. 23:08: Red paint in Sderot and the Gaza perimeter. 22:47: Masked gunmen roamed the streets of Ramallah, announcing the reactivation of the terrorist organization "Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades" and threatening Israel. 22:00: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that he had completed a situation assessment and approval of operational plans with the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Staff, the Head of the Shin Bet, the Head of the Mossad and the Head of the National Security Council. "The directive is to continue striking terror targets. The IDF is doing this well, today it eliminated another senior commander of the Islamic Jihad," Netanyahu said. He said, "We hit Hamas's naval unit, and we are also continuing to strike the underground - Hamas's metro, and there are other targets. We will continue to act as necessary to restore peace and security to all residents of Israel." 21:55: Landslides in Sderot: Damage to a Chabad kindergarten building. No casualties. Firefighters conducted scanning operations to locate trapped people and cut off energy sources. Additional teams are on their way to the scene. Another damage was identified at the Osem factory in the city. 21:31: Gaza Health Ministry: Since the start of the operation, there have been 212 deaths and 1,400 injuries in the Gaza Strip. 21:13: Alarms in Netivot and the Gaza perimeter. 21:00: The Qatari Reconstruction Committee in Gaza began this morning distributing "urgent financial assistance" to hundreds of families of those killed and injured in Operation "Guardian of the Walls" in the Gaza Strip. Envoy Muhammad al-Emadi explained that assistance is being provided to relatives of those killed throughout the Gaza Strip, owners of homes that were destroyed and homes that were damaged to a level that makes them uninhabitable. According to al-Emadi, the assistance is being provided to families so that they can purchase basic products, provide Urgent needs or to pay rent in temporary housing. 20:25: An IDF soldier was lightly to moderately injured by a mortar attack. 20:15: The IDF attacked five homes of senior Hamas officials that were used as terror infrastructure. Among other things, the home of Ezz al-Din Haddad, a senior member of the military wing's general staff and head of all-Gulf combat assistance, was bombed in the last round. The home of Amjad Abu Naja, commander of the Nukhaba Battalion in the Gaza Strip, who conducted combat from his home in the various rounds, was also destroyed. The house of Ibrahim Muhammad Mustafa Kuwara, commander of the South Khan Yunis Battalion, who took part in shooting attacks against IDF forces since 2008 and was responsible for the rocket fire at Israel, was bombed. In addition, the house of Ahmed Shamali, commander of the Nuhba Battalion in Sajaiya, was attacked. His house had a military communications infrastructure and an infrastructure for storing weapons. The house of Nissim Abu Ajouna, commander of the Beit Lahia Battalion, was also destroyed, and his house had a military infrastructure for conducting combat. 8:15 PM: For the third time in the past week, the US has blocked a Security Council condemnation of Israel. During the day The IDF attacked the main Hamas internal security headquarters in the Rimal neighborhood, in the northern Gaza Strip. The headquarters was a central Hamas terror infrastructure, from which the organization's military intelligence operatives operate. The terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip fired another barrage of rockets at Ashkelon and southern communities. A Hamas spokesman threatened that if Israel did not stop the attacks on homes in the Gaza Strip, the terrorist organization would return to firing barrages at Tel Aviv. The IDF thwarted a naval attack by Hamas: an unmanned submersible was destroyed, several of the organization's operatives were killed. A residential building in Ashdod sustained a direct hit. Three lightly wounded people were located at the scene. Hussam Abu Harbid, commander of the Northern Brigade in the military wing of Islamic Jihad, was eliminated by the IDF and Shin Bet in an airstrike by fighter jets. Abu Harbid was a commander in the organization for more than 15 years, and was responsible for several anti-tank attacks, including the attack carried out on the first day of Guard of the Walls.