Car explosion kills top commander of Islamic Jihad military wing in Gaza

An explosion in a car in Gaza City on Wednesday killed the top commander of the Islamic Jihad's military wing in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian police said.

Photo: Car explosion kills top commander of Islamic Jihad military wing in Gaza

Khaled Dahdouh, 45, was targeted in the attack, police said. The Israeli military, which frequently carries out pinpointed attacks against militants in Gaza, said it was not involved.

Islamic Jihad vowed revenge for the death of Dahdouh, who they said had survived nine Israeli attempts on his life.

Islamic Jihad, unlike the militant Hamas group that recently swept Palestinian elections, has disregarded a year-old informal truce with Israel, and has carried out all six suicide bombings that have taken place in that time. Over the past year, Islamic Jihad wanted men have been the focus of Israeli attacks and arrest raids.

Violence on Wednesday also spilled into the West Bank, where Palestinian militants shot and killed a Jewish settler traveling on a road near the settlement of Tapuah, military officials said.

The Al Aqsa Martrys' Brigades, a group affiliated with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, took responsibility for the shooting. Israeli troops were searching for two gunmen who fled the scene, Israel Radio said.

In the Gaza airstrike, Dahdouh's car was incinerated as it traveled over a speed bump. Hospital officials said two other people were wounded.

The explosion took place on a busy street in the residential area between Islamic University and the Finance Ministry compound in Gaza City. It knocked out electricity in the area and damaged several cars parked nearby.

Samira Daoud, 32, was standing on the balcony waiting for her children's schoolbus to arrive when the blast occurred, reports the AP.

I.L.