The Israel Air Force struck and killed a terrorist from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) group in Gaza shortly after midnight on Wednesday, who was responsible for a series of rocket attacks on southern Israel, including the two rockets fired at the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council came shortly after the completion of the funeral of former prime minister Ariel Sharon at the nearby Sycamore Ranch.
The air strike, carried out jointly by the IDF and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), targeted Ahmed Za'anin, who according to the IDF planned to carry out additional rocket attacks against Israel in the near future.
"The IDF acted to remove an immediate threat to Israeli civilians," the army said. "Ahmed Za'anin belonged to the PFLP terrorist organization, and in the past, was a member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organization. He carried out many destructive acts against Israeli civilians and the IDF, with an emphasis on rocket fire," the army added.Since 2009, Za'anin took part in several attacks and set up local terrorist infrastructures in the Gaza Strip, according to the IDF.