The attack that injured an Islamic Jihad terrorist who was planning an assault against IDF forces was approved following a lengthy process lasting more than a day, Yedioth Ahronoth correspondent Yossi Yehoshua reported.
According to the report, intelligence on the terrorist was gathered and transferred through multiple operational echelons - from the Southern Command and Military Intelligence, through the Operations Division to the Chief of Staff, and from there to the political echelon, the Israeli-US Joint Headquarters, and the CENTCOM commander.
Although the terrorist was not eliminated, the incident is considered unusual, as similar operations in the past would have been authorized by a division commander alone. A security source explained: “It was an update - we did not ask for approval.”
The IDF stated that “the IDF, led by the Southern Command and using Air Force aircraft, targeted in the Nussirat area in central Gaza a terrorist from a Gaza-based terrorist organization who planned to carry out an imminent attack against IDF forces.”
The statement added that “IDF forces in the Southern Command are deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire outline and will continue to act to eliminate any immediate threat.”