Gazan Behind Abduction Killed
An Israeli air strike in Gaza on Friday killed the commander of the militant group behind the abduction of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier who was held captive for more than five years and freed in a swap late last year for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners.
The midday attack marked the highest-profile Israeli strike against the strip in several months and set off a violent escalation after a period of relative calm.
Various Palestinian groups fired dozens of rockets, some deep into Israeli territory, prompting Israel to warn its residents to stay indoors. The Israeli military pounded several rocket-launching cells in Gaza. In all, 10 Palestinian militants were killed in Israeli air strikes, and one Israeli citizen was seriously wounded by the Palestinian rocket fire.