Time.news – The escalation of violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip does not stop: al firing of hundreds of rockets by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the Jewish state has responded with more than 100 raids against the Palestinian enclave, which have so far killed 28, including 10 children and a woman, and more than 150 injured.
In Israel, two women were killed by rockets that fell on Ashkelon, in two separate incidents: it is an elderly woman, shot while she was at home with other relatives, who were injured, and a caregiver who, together with the woman who cared for she managed to reach the public shelter, which is located one minute from the house, in time, without a private shelter.
After a busy night, a hail of rockets continued to fall on Israel throughout the day, with sirens sounding in cities near the Palestinian enclave: Hamas announced that it had fired 137 within five minutes and the spokesman for the ‘military wing, Abu Ubaidah, threatened to turn Ashkelon “into hell” if the Jewish state “continues to attack”.
It is this coastal city that has suffered the most so far: in addition to the two victims, there are a few dozen people ended up in hospital, mostly mild. Rockets fell on two residential buildings early in the morning, leaving 23 injured, four of whom were from the same family; the father is hospitalized with a serious head injury, the wife in moderate conditions while the two children aged 6 and 12 were only slightly injured.
Also in Ashkelon, a rocket landed on an empty school. Ashdod is also in the sights, a city 40 kilometers from Gaza, hit for the first time since this escalation began. The Israeli premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, has decided to intensify the attacks against the Strip, “both in strength and frequency”.
“For every day of rockets against Israeli civilians, we will turn terrorist groups back years and hit them hard. We will not stop until calm is restored “, echoed the Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, who authorized the recall – if necessary – of five thousand reservists.
According to Channel 12, Israel rejected it a request for a ceasefire by Hamas and also an international mediation; “The goal of the operation is to hit Hamas hard, weaken it and make it regret its decision. We will continue (Operation Guardian of the Walls) in the next few hours and days, it is difficult to estimate how long it will take,” Gantz said.
The Chief of Staff, Aviv Kohavi, also suggested “preparing for a wider conflict, without time limits”. Missile production sites are in the sights of Israeli fighters, weapons stores, military posts. The armed forces (IDF) announced that they had killed the head of the special unit responsible for the rockets of Islamic Jihad in Gaza, Samah Abed al-Mamluk.
The man was shot while he was in a “hiding place with other senior leaders of Islamic Jihad”, including Kamal Tayseer Qureiqa and Muhammad Yahya Abu Al-Atta, who died with him. The terrorist organization promised revenge: “The response to their assassination will be tough”. The secretary of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit, at an emergency meeting of the foreign ministers of the member countries, condemned Israel’s “indiscriminate and irresponsible” attacks, calling the raid and clashes on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan a “provocation”, and urged the UN Security Council to act, which last night failed to find a position unitary.
From the United Nations, the High Commissioner for Human Rights led by Michelle Bachelet expressed “deep concern over the escalation” and “condemned the violence, incitement and provocation”, while Paris urged Israel to “proportionate use of force “, assuring that it will continue to work for a political solution to the crisis.
Intense diplomatic commitment also on the part of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who made it known that he was working to put an end to the violence of the Jewish state against the Palestinians. The Turkish leader spoke both with the president of the Palestinian National Authority, Abu Mazen, and with the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, as well as having had talks with the Malay king and the leaders of Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan to try to put together a strong and compact Islamic front.
Amman’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, warned that “Israel’s aggression and arrogance will have consequences on bilateral relations”, stressing that the Jewish state “is playing with fire, pushing the region into instability” . Meanwhile, tensions have also re-registered in Lod, during the funeral of the 25-year-old Arab-Israeli killed last night by a Jew during the riots.
The city in the central region of Israel was the scene of violent protests by the Arab minority, in solidarity with the Palestinians of East Jerusalem. A mob attacked a school, a synagogue, an academy for pre-military training, a synagogue and the municipality, praising the liberation of Palestine and throwing stones and incendiary bottles.
Protests also took place in other towns, including Ramle and Umm al-Fahm. President Reuven Rivlin urged the leaders of the Arab minority to “speak with a clear and decisive voice against rampant violence, against the attack on synagogues, against this savage fury”. “The police will do whatever it takes to restore peace”, he added, asking for “the cooperation of the Arab leadership to restore calm, law and order to the streets”.
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