Key Islamic Jihad leader killed as Israelis demand ceasefire

One of the key leaders of Islamic Jihad, responsible for numerous attacks on Israel, including the incident on October 7th at Kibbutz Sufa, has been confirmed dead by an Israeli army spokesperson. He was killed in an airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip.

The governing Hamas in the Gaza Strip, alongside other Palestinian factions such as Islamic Jihad, launched an armed incursion into Israel on October 7, 2023, leading to roughly 1,200 people, primarily civilians, being killed and around 240 taken hostage.

According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza, over 34,000 Palestinians have died in ongoing retaliatory operations by Israel to date.

"Aiman Zaarab, a commander of the Rafah Islamic Jihad Brigade responsible for the attacks by Islamic Jihad forces on Kibbutz Sufa and the Sufa military post during the massacre on October 7th, was killed in the airstrike. Along with Zaarab, two other Islamic Jihad terrorists present in his operational apartment were also eliminated," reported the Israeli forces.

Thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday, urging Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire with Hamas, aiming for the release of the remaining hostages taken by Hamas during the October 7 assault.

The rally in Tel Aviv occurred amidst ongoing ceasefire and hostage release negotiations in Cairo. Relatives and friends of the more than 130 hostages still being held expressed during the demonstration that all possible measures must be taken to return them home.

"I am here today to support the agreement," stated Natalie Eldor. "We need to bring back all the hostages, both alive and deceased. We need a change in government. This war must end," she added.

The protest was organized on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, Yom HaShoah, which is observed on May 6 this year, as the seventh month of the conflict in Gaza draws to an end and the international community's calls to cease the hostilities intensify.