The Israeli military killed a top commander of a Palestinian jihadist group in a missile strike in Gaza on Tuesday, officials from Israel and Palestine said.

The targeted strike, which was approved by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, killed Baha Abu Al-Atta — the top commander of Islamic Jihad — and his wife in their home in the Gaza Strip.

The assassination sparked immediate response by Palestinian fighters, who began firing rockets into Israel.

In a statement, Israel described Abu Al-Atta as a “ticking bomb” who lead the Iran-backed terror group.

“Abu Al-Atta was responsible for most of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s activity in the Gaza Strip and was a ticking bomb,” the statement said.

They also accused him of planning “imminent terror attacks through various means.”

Islamic Jihad responded with their own statement, saying their retaliation will “rock the Zionist entity.”

Hamas, Gaza’s ruling party, added in a statement that his death “will not go unpunished.”

With Post Wires