Israeli-Gaza Conflict: Extremists Exchange Fire After Deadly Strike

Israeli jets hit militant targets in Gaza on Saturday, followed by rocket attacks on southern Israel, followed by Israeli airstrikes. After the wave, the coastal enclave, where fears of escalation grew, killed at least 12 people, including senior combatants and a five-year-old girl.

Fighting began when Israel killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Palestine in Friday's strike. Gaza's Hamas rulers have so far appeared to sit on the sidelines, somewhat tempering the intensity of the conflict. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller battles over the past 15 years, at a staggering cost to her two million Palestinian inhabitants in the region. rice field.

Shortly before noon on Saturday, Israeli fighter jets launched airstrikes. After alerting residents by phone, fighter jets dropped two bombs on Islamic Jihad members' homes in a residential area of ​​Gaza City, causing the two-story building to collapse and causing extensive damage to surrounding homes. I was. Women and children rushed out of the area and there were no casualties.

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"They warned us. They warned us with rockets and we fled without taking anything." said Huda Shyamalaf, who was She said 15 people lived in the targeted home.

Another airstrike hit a nearby Islamic Jihad site. Gaza militants continued to fire rockets into southern Israel about every half hour, although there were no reports of casualties. Stopped due to lack of fuel. This is because Israel has continued to close transit points to Gaza since Tuesday. The shutdown will exacerbate a chronic power crisis in the densely populated territory amid peak summer heat, with new chaos leaving Gazans with electricity for only four hours a day and a homeless man. Increased reliance on generators.

Recent Israeli-Gaza violence stems from the arrest of a senior Islamic Jihadist leader in the West Bank this week. This is part of his month-long Israeli military operation in the region. Israel then blocked roads around the Gaza Strip, citing security threats, and killed Taisser al-Jabari, commander of the Islamic Jihad in northern Gaza, in a targeted attack on Friday.

An Israeli military spokesman said the attack was in response to an "imminent threat" from his two militant units armed with anti-tank missiles.

"This government has a zero-tolerance policy against attempted attacks of any kind from Gaza into Israeli territory," Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Friday. said in a televised speech. "Israel cannot stand by and watch those who seek to harm civilians."

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"Israel has no interest in the wider conflict in Gaza, but neither will it avoid it," he added.

The violence will be an early test for Rapid, who has assumed the role of caretaker prime minister ahead of the November elections.

Rapid, a centrist former TV presenter and author, has diplomatic experience and served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the outgoing government, but his security credentials are weak. 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.

Hamas also announced that just one year after the last war had caused widespread devastation, Faced with a dilemma in deciding whether to join a new battle. Since then, little reconstruction has taken place, and the isolated coastal area has plunged into poverty, with unemployment hovering around 50%.

Egypt stepped up efforts to prevent escalation, contacting Israel, the Palestinians and the United States to prevent Hamas from joining the fight, Egyptian intelligence officials said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.

The Palestinian Ministry of Health said a 5-year-old girl and her 23-year-old woman were one of his 12 dead in Gaza, and more than 80 others were injured. It did not distinguish between civilians and militants. The Israeli military said early estimates put about 15 fighters dead.

Hundreds of people marched in honor of jihad commander Al-Jabari and others killed, with many mourners waving Palestinian and Islamic jihad flags and calling for revenge. rice field. Al-Jabari took over another militant killed in an airstrike in 2019.

Throughout the night, Israeli media showed skies over southern and central Israel illuminated by rockets and interceptors from Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system. There were no immediate reports of casualties on the Israeli side. Israel said overnight attacks in Gaza hit rocket launchers, rocket construction sites and Islamic jihadist positions. The military also said 19 Islamic Jihad fighters were arrested in the West Bank.

Tor Wensland, the United Nations Special Envoy for the region, said, "The rocket launches must cease immediately and all measures must be taken to avoid further escalation." I will call the side," he said.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz said he had approved an order to call up 25,000 reservists if needed, but the army was forced to close schools and move 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the border.

Israel closed roads around Gaza earlier this week in retaliation after arresting Islamic jihadist leader Bassam al-Saadi on Monday in a military raid in the occupied West Bank. I sent reinforcements to the border to prepare. His teenage member of the group died in a shootout between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants.

READ MORE: Israeli Palestinians join strike as violence escalates in Gaza

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 spiked again earlier this year following a wave of attacks inside Israel, near-daily military operations in the West Bank and tensions in the flashpoint Jerusalem Holy Land.

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. It is unclear to what extent Hamas controls Islamic Jihad, with Israel holding Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade of their territory since the Hamas takeover. Israel says a shutdown is necessary to prevent Hamas from building its military capabilities. Critics say the policy amounts to collective punishment.

© 2022 The Canadian Press