Hedi Zilberman
Hedi ZilbermanIDF Spokesperson's Unit

IDF Spokesperson Hedi Zilberman commented on Tuesday morning on the elimination of Islamic Jihad senior leader Baha Abu Al Ata in Gaza.

"As far as we are concerned, Abu Al Ata was a ticking bomb who planned to advance these days, meaning the coming days, concrete rocket fire at the envelope, sniper and infiltration attacks, and drove attacks," said Zilberman.

"We saw it on the ground, we had an opportunity and took advantage of it. We waited for it for about a week - a surgical assault that resulted in his death with minimal casualties."

He stressed that "we are not going back to targeted killings, this is a specific incident. The IDF is not interested in escalation, but we are prepared to continue to work against anyone who tries to compromise Israel's security."