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Israeli airstrikes destroyed Gaza homes on Saturday and Palestinian rocket shelling into southern Israel continued for a second day, sparking fears of another major escalation in the Middle East conflict.Gaza’s health ministry said said 24 people, including six children, had died in the coastal zone so far.
The fighting began with Israel killing a senior commander of an Islamic Jihad group in Palestine on Friday in a series of attacks it said were intended to prevent an imminent attack.
Israeli navy sank Palestinian ship, allegedly smuggled ‘equipment’ to Hamas
So far, Hamas, the larger militant group that governs Gaza, has appeared to remain on the sidelines of the conflict, somewhat curbing the intensity of the conflict. I fought a war years ago. It is one of four major conflicts in the last 15 years, and one of several smaller conflicts that have taken a staggering toll on his two million impoverished Palestinians.
Whether Hamas will continue to stay out of the fighting will likely depend on how much punishment Israel imposes in Gaza as rocket fire continues steadily.
The Israeli military said a errant rocket fired by Palestinian militants late Saturday killed civilians, including children, in the town of Jabariya in northern Gaza. The military said it had investigated the incident and concluded that it was “definitely” due to a failed Islamic Jihad. There was no official Palestinian comment on the incident.
A Palestinian medical worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to brief the media, said at least six people, including three children, were killed in the blast.
Earlier on Saturday, Israeli warplanes attacked four homes in Gaza City. All locations were clearly associated with Islamic Jihad. There were no reports of casualties. In each case, the Israeli army warned the population in advance of the strike.
Israel Kills Top Islamic Jihadist in Gaza, Announces Official Military Operation
Another strike on Saturday killed a 75-year-old woman and injured six others after a car crash.
In one of the strikes, fighter jets dropped two bombs on the homes of Islamic Jihad members after being warned. The blast caused him to collapse a two-story building, leaving a large crater filled with debris and severely damaging surrounding homes.
Women and children fled from the area.
“We were warned? We were warned of rockets, but we fled without taking anything,” said Huda Shyamalaf, who lived next door. She said 15 people lived in her targeted home.
Among the 24 Palestinians killed were six children and two women, as well as a senior Islamic Jihad commander. The Gaza Health Ministry said more than 200 people were injured. It does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. The Israeli military said on Friday that early estimates put about 15 fighters dead.
The only power plant in Gaza shut down at noon on Saturday due to a fuel shortage.New chaos has left Gazans with electricity for only four hours a day, reducing their reliance on their own generators. , exacerbating the region’s chronic power crisis in the peak summer heat.
Throughout the day, Gaza militants regularly fired rockets at Israel. The Israeli military said about 450 rockets were fired Saturday night, 350 of which reached Israel, but almost all were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. rice field.
Rockets were fired toward Tel Aviv, setting off sirens to send residents to shelters, but the rockets were intercepted or fell into the sea, the military said.
Sunday could be a significant day of rekindling, as Jews mark Tisha B’av, a day of solemn fasting that commemorates the destruction of the biblical temple. Thousands are expected to attend the Western Wall in Jerusalem, and Israeli media reported that lawmakers will visit an important holy site on the city’s hilltop, a spark of violence between Israel and Palestine. is expected to be allowed by the Israeli leadership.
On Friday night, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a televised speech that “Israel has no interest in the wider conflict in Gaza, but would not hesitate to have one.”
The violence poses an early test for Rapid, who assumed the role of caretaker prime minister ahead of November’s elections, to try to hold on to the position.
Mr Rapid, a centrist former TV host and author, has diplomatic experience as foreign minister in the outgoing government, but has weak security credentials. The conflict with Gaza could hone his position and boost him as he confronts former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the security hawk who led the country in three of its four wars with Hamas. have a nature
Hamas also faces a dilemma in deciding whether to join the new battle just one year after the previous war caused widespread devastation. Since then, little reconstruction has taken place, and the isolated coastal area has plunged into poverty, with unemployment hovering around 50%. Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade on the region since Hamas took over him in 2007.
Egypt stepped up efforts to prevent escalation, contacting Israel, Palestinians and the United States to prevent Hamas from joining the battle on Saturday, an Egyptian intelligence official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The latest violence between Israel and Gaza stemmed from the arrest of a senior Islamic Jihadist leader in the West Bank earlier this week. This is part of a months-long Israeli military operation in the region. A teenage Islamic Jihad member also died in the shootout.
Israel then closed roads around Gaza, sent reinforcements to the border and warned of reprisals. On Friday, it was a strike on an apartment building in Gaza City that killed Taysel al-Jabari, commander of Islamic Jihad in northern Gaza.
An Israeli military spokesman said the attack was in response to an “imminent threat” from two militant units armed with anti-tank missiles.
Israel has approved an order to call up 25,000 reservists if needed. Authorities have closed schools and imposed restrictions on other activities in communities within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the border.
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Hamas seized power in Gaza from rival Palestinian forces in 2007, two years after Israel withdrew from the coast. The most recent war with Israel he was in May 2021. Tensions soared again this year following a series of attacks inside Israel, near-daily military operations in the West Bank and flashpoint tensions in the Holy Land of Jerusalem.
Iran-backed Islamic Jihad is smaller than Hamas, but shares much of its ideology. Both groups oppose Israel’s existence and have carried out numerous deadly attacks over the years, including rocket launches into Israel.