Palestinian officials say at least eight people, including a senior militant, were killed and 40 others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.
Palestinian officials say at least eight people, including a senior militant, were killed and 40 others wounded in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.
Israel launched a wave of airstrikes in Gaza on Friday, killing at least 10 people, including a senior militant, and wounding dozens, according to Palestinian officials. Israel said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad terrorist group in response to an “imminent threat” following the arrest of another senior terrorist in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.
The targeted killing of a senior Palestinian terrorist is likely to draw rocket fire from Gaza, pushing the sides closer to an all-out war. The militant Hamas rulers of Israel and Gaza have fought four wars and several minor battles over the past 15 years, at a cost to the region’s staggering 2 million Palestinian residents.
An explosion was heard in Gaza City, where smoke emanated from the seventh floor of a high-rise building on Friday afternoon. The video released by the army shows three guard towers being blown up with suspected terrorists.
“The Israeli government will not allow terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to set the agenda and threaten citizens of the State of Israel in the region adjacent to the Gaza Strip,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement. “Whoever tries to harm Israel should know: we will find you.”
The violence is an early test for Mr Lapid, who assumed the role of caretaker prime minister ahead of the election in November, in which he is expected to retain the post. He has experience in diplomacy, has served as foreign minister in the outgoing government, but his security credentials are slim.
Hamas also faces a dilemma in deciding whether to engage in a new battle – barely a year after the previous war caused widespread devastation. There has been almost no reconstruction since then, and the isolated coastal region mired in poverty, with unemployment at around 50%.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said the dead included a 5-year-old girl and a 23-year-old woman, and 55 others were injured. It did not differentiate between civilians and extremists. The Israeli military said initial estimates were that around 15 fighters were killed.
Islamic Jihad said its commander for northern Gaza Taisir al-Jabri was among those killed. He succeeded another terrorist killed in an airstrike in 2019. Hundreds of people marched in a funeral procession for him and the other slain, with many mourners waving Palestinian flags and banners of Islamic Jihad as they called for revenge.
A few hundred people gathered outside the morgue at the main Shifa hospital in Gaza City. Some entered to identify their loved ones, then just came out in tears. One shouted: “God take vengeance on the spies,” referring to Palestinian informers collaborating with Israel.
An Israeli military spokesman said it launched the strikes in response to an “imminent threat” from two terrorist squads armed with anti-tank missiles. The spokesman, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said Mr al-Jabri was deliberately targeted and was responsible for “multiple attacks” on Israel.
Meanwhile Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved an order to call in 25,000 reserve troops if needed. And the military declared a “special situation” on the home front, with schools closed and limits on other activities in communities within 80 kilometers (50 mi) of the border.
Israel closed roads around Gaza earlier this week and sent reinforcements to the border as it launched a retaliatory attack on Monday following the arrest of Islamic Jihad leader Bassam al-Sadi, in the occupied West Bank. I was in a military raid. A teenage group member was killed in a gunfight between Israeli soldiers and Palestinian extremists.
Israel and Hamas have fought four wars in 2007 since seizing power in the coastal strip from rival Palestinian forces. The most recent was in May 2021, and tensions flared up again earlier this year, when a wave of attacks inside Israel was almost daily. Military operations in the West Bank and tensions at the holy site of Jerusalem.
Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad al-Nakhlah told Iran’s al-Mayadeen TV network, “The fighters of the Palestinian resistance must stand together to confront this aggression.” He said there would be “no red lines” and blamed the violence on Israel.
“The enemy of Israel, which has launched a war against Gaza and committed a new crime, will have to pay the price and bear full responsibility for it,” Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said.
Islamic Jihad is smaller than Hamas but largely shares its ideology. Both groups are opposed to Israel’s existence and have carried out several deadly attacks over the years, including rocket fire into Israel. It is not clear how much Hamas controls Islamic Jihad, and Israel blames Hamas for all attacks from Gaza.
Israel and Egypt have placed tight blockades on the region since the takeover of Hamas. Israel says it needs to shut down to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities, while critics say the policy amounts to collective punishment.
Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of the largest Shifa hospital in Gaza, said hospitals faced shortages after Israel completely closed Gaza earlier this week. He said that in normal times there were enough supplies and essential medicines to sustain hospitals for five days, but with the new round of fighting, “they could run out at any time.”
Israel kicked off an expected fuel delivery to Gaza’s only power plant, which was expected to shut down early Saturday if fuel does not enter the region. Even when the plant is running at full capacity, Gajans still face daily power cuts that last for several hours.
Earlier on Friday, a few hundred Israelis protested near the Gaza Strip on Friday, demanding the return of the remains of two Israeli soldiers held by Hamas.
The protesters were led by the family of Haider Goldin, who was killed along with Oron Shawl in the 2014 Gaza war. Hamas is still holding their remains as well as two Israeli civilians who wandered into Gaza and are believed to be terminally ill, hoping to exchange them for some of the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. hopefully.
Israel says no major steps can be taken to lift the blockade until the remains of soldiers and captive civilians are released. Israel and Hamas have held several rounds of talks, mediated by Egypt, on a possible swap.
At least 2 rockets fired from Gaza after Israeli strikes
of israel Cannes TV At least two rockets fired from Gaza were intercepted as air strike sirens sounded in central and southern Israel.
The rocket was fired after Israel launched an airstrike in Gaza on Friday.
The Israeli military said it was targeting the Islamic Jihad terrorist group as roads remained closed for several days in isolated areas due to an imminent threat. Palestinian officials say at least 10 people were killed, including a senior militant and a five-year-old girl.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid says Israel has “zero tolerance” for attacks from Gaza but is “not interested” in a wider fight.
The militant Hamas rulers of Israel and Gaza have fought four wars in the past 15 years.