Israel says Gaza offensive to last a week

JERUSALEM

The Israeli army said Saturday its military offensive in the Gaza Strip may extend over a week.

Army spokesman Ran Kochav said the military is preparing for week-long operations in the Palestinian territory.

At least 11 Palestinians were killed and 80 others injured in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza since Friday.

Kochav said the Israeli army is currently working against the Islamic Jihad rocket launching groups in Gaza, adding that the Palestinian movement lacks organization and command making it difficult to understand the decision-making within the group.

According to the Israeli army, more than 160 rockets were fired by Islamic Jihad group from Gaza into Israel, with 60 of them intercepted.

The spokesman told Israeli Channel 12 that the Israeli response in Gaza is meant "not to drag the Hamas group into the ongoing conflict."

Tension escalated across the Palestinian territories on Monday when Israeli forces detained Bassam al-Saadi, a senior leader of the Islamic Jihad group, in a raid in the West Bank city of Jenin.

The Israeli army has imposed restrictions on the Gaza Strip, including the closure of border crossings with the Palestinian territory, amid fears of a retaliatory response from the Islamic Jihad group to the arrest.

The Palestinian group said Friday that senior leader Tayseer al-Jabari was among those killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar