Israel kills leader of Palestinian militants behind Shalit kidnapping

Zuhair al-Qaissi among ten militants killed in Gaza

Zuhair al-Qaissi was the top commander of the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committee, a large militant group aligned with Hamas.

An Israeli airstrike has killed the commander of the militant group behind the abduction of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was held captive for more than five years and freed in a prisoner swap for more than 1,000 Palestinians.

The midday attack marked the highest profile Israeli strike against the coastal strip in several months and immediately set off a violent escalation after a period of relative calm.

Various Palestinian militant groups fired dozens of rockets, some deep into Israeli territory, prompting Israel to issue warnings to its residents to stay indoors. The Israeli military pounded several rocket-launching cells in Gaza. In all, 10 Palestinians were killed in Israeli airstrikes, and one Israeli citizen was seriously wounded by the Palestinian rocket fire.

The Israeli military said it initially targeted Zuhair al-Qaissi, the commander of the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committee, a large militant group closely aligned with Gaza's Hamas rulers. The explosion tore apart al-Qaissi's blue sedan and also killed his son-in-law, Mahmoud Hanini – himself a top PRC field commander. Another militant also died. A further seven militants were later killed in separate strikes.

The Israeli military said al-Qaissi was plotting an infiltration attack into Israel similar to the one he orchestrated in August from the Sinai peninsula that killed eight Israelis.

It said that al-Qaissi was behind several deadly attacks against Israel, including rocket fire, and he was also in charge of transferring funds from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah to other militant groups in Gaza.

"The coward Zionists have committed an ugly crime and they know the price that they are going to pay," said a PRC spokesman.

"We call on our fighters to respond to the Zionist enemy with all our strength," he said. "We shall avenge our leader."

The Israeli military insisted it did not want an escalation but said it was "prepared to defend the residents of Israel".

But it appeared to be getting ready for the worst, issuing a warning to Israeli residents living within 40 kilometers (25 miles) fof Gaza to stay close to home Friday night and refrain from holding major outdoor events on Saturday.

Israel said Hamas was using other groups to carry out attacks in its place and warned that Gaza's rulers "will bear the consequences of these actions" if an escalation took place.