Israel defence minister threatens to kill Islamic Jihad leader days after truce

Israel’s defence minister has threatened to kill Ziyad al-Nakhalah, the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group in Gaza, saying there were no guarantees this will not happen.

"All terrorist organisation leaders should be concerned. Ziyad al-Nakhalah stands at the head of a terrorist organisation, and there are no guarantees for his life, no matter where he is," Benny Gantz told Israeli broadcaster Kan 11 on Tuesday evening.

Al-Nakhalah has been the leader of the PIJ since September 2018.

Israel last week killed PIJ commander Tayseer al-Jabari in an airstrike on Gaza. The attack was followed by three days of heavy bombardment of the besieged coastal enclave, which killed 47 Palestinians, among them 15 children.

An Egyptian-mediated truce came into effect on Sunday night.

Gantz told Kan 11 that "all its necessary force will be used" if the truce was violated.

The minister also claimed that Israel had "won" the last four rounds of violence in the Gaza Strip, as he called on Hamas to return Israeli captives it holds.

Officially, Israel claims that Hamas holds the remains of Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, two soldiers who were killed in Gaza during Israel's military offensive in 2014, as well as two civilians who are believed to be alive, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed.