Hamas, Islamic Jihad claim responsibility for Tel Aviv bombing

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility on Monday for a bombing attack in Tel Aviv a day earlier.

Israeli police said the attacker was killed in Sunday’s bombing, which also injured one person.

In a statement, Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said the attack was carried out in cooperation with the Islamic Jihad group.

It warned that “the martyrdom operations will return to the forefront as long as the massacres, forced displacements of Palestinian civilians, and targeted assassinations by the occupation continue.”

A Palestinian military expert called the joint claim of responsibility “a critical development,” warning that the situation is poised to escalate further.

“It is clear that Palestinian resistance activities are intensifying, with fighters shifting from a defensive posture to offensive operations,” retired General Yousef al-Sharqawi told Anadolu.

He said further attacks similar to Sunday’s bombing in Tel Aviv could be carried out inside Israel in the coming days.

The expert noted that the coordination between the two resistance groups signals a new level of cooperation.

“The adoption of such an operation in Tel Aviv marks a critical shift in the tactics used by Palestinian resistance groups,” the expert emphasized.

Flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas.

The Israeli onslaught has since killed over 40,130 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured more than 92,740, according to local health authorities.

More than 10 months into the Israeli onslaught, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul