A rocket launched towards Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday targeted a terrorist operative involved in recent attacks against Israel and who was planning further attacks in the coming days.

In a statement, the IDF said Ahmad Sa’ad, a senior operative in the “Palestinian Islamic Jihad” terrorist organization, was in the northern Gaza Strip when an Israel Air Force aircraft carried out the mission. Sa’ad was seriously injured in the strike. The IDF operated in order to eliminate an imminent threat to the lives of Israeli civilians, it said.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, IDF Spokesman said: “Gaza terrorists must know that there is a personal price to pay when planning and executing terror attacks against Israel. There is no immunity for those that partake in projectile terrorism. The IDF targeted an integral component of the Gaza terrorist mechanism in order to diminish terrorist capabilities and send a clear message of intolerance to the aggression from the Hamas territory.”

The IDF said Ahmad Sa’ad is a key Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative in the Gaza Strip specializing in rocket launching. Sa’ad was personally responsible for the launching of five rockets towards the coastal city of Ashkelon on January 16, 2014, which were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. In recent days Sa’ad was involved in substantial planning to launch more rockets at Israeli civilians, it said.

Sa’ad’s terrorist activities over the years include concealing, directing, and launching rockets at southern Israel on numerous occasions including during operation “Pillar of Defense” in Nov 2012, and multiple launches during an escalation of violence during March 2012, the IDF said.

According to Gazan sources a 12 year old boy was also wounded in the strike.