The most senior military commander of Hamas, Ahmed al-Jaabri, was been killed in an Israeli air strike amidst the escalating conflict.

Israeli military sources described the airstrike as a result of “precise intelligence gathered over a period of months. Outlining the motive behind the attack, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) stated that the operation was intended “to severely impair the command-and-control chain of the Hamas leadership, as well as its terrorist infrastructure.”

A tweet from the Israeli military indicated that it was prepared to “initiate a ground operation in Gaza” if necessary.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud, condemned the Israeli operation, and went on to demand an immediate end to the aggression, reported the official Wafa news agency.

Commenting on the wave of rocket attacks from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, warned that the damage to the daily lives of residents in Israel could result in serious repercussions.

"Today we've sent a clear message to Hamas and to other terrorist organisations,"

"And if there is a need, the Israeli Defence Forces are prepared to widen the operation. We will continue to do everything to defend our citizens."

“Whoever thinks they can damage the daily lives of residents of the south, and they won’t pay a heavy price for this, they are mistaken”

Meanwhile Egypt has recalled its ambassador to Israel. Egypt's foreign minister, Mohamed Kamel Amr, urged Israel to "stop its strikes on Gaza Strip immediately", stating that the further violence from Israel "could have negative repercussions on the security and stability of the region."

Pushed by Egypt's new government, the UN Security Council will be holding a special closed session on the attack, along side an emergency Arab League session on Friday.

In a statement the British Foreign & Commonwealth Office said, 

“We continue to call on all sides to exercise restraint to prevent a dangerous escalation that would be in no-ones interests.”

Mark Toner, spokeperson to the US State Department said,

"we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties".

"Hamas claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it continues to engage in violence that is counterproductive to the Palestinian cause".