Seven Palestinians were killed by Israel Air Force strikes carried out to help exfiltrate the special forces.While initial reports out of Gaza said that the raid was an assassination operation, the IDF flatly denied the reports, saying it was a “lengthy operation,” which was “of high importance to Israel’s security.” Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “no political solution exists for Gaza, just as there isn’t one with ISIS” and that he is doing everything he can to avoid “unnecessary war.”Netanyahu, who was in Paris for World War I centenary events, flew back to Israel earlier than expected following the event, indicating the severity of the incident.The former head of the Southern Command, Maj.-Gen (res.) Tal Russo, who has also participated in numerous commando operations and rarely makes media appearances, told Channel 10 that the operation was likely intelligence gathering.#Hamas has published pictures of #IDF gear left from botched raid in #KhanYounis which killed a Lt.Col in an elite IDF unit as well as a senior Hamas commander pic.twitter.com/E7ogmb0BpW
— Anna Ahronheim (@AAhronheim) November 12, 2018