GAZA CITY(AP) – Israeli and Palestinian militants launched a fourth-day salvo, with Islamic Jihad militias firing more than 1,000 rockets as Israeli forces stormed the Gaza Strip.
There were no immediate reports of casualties in Gaza or Israel as of Saturday. But as a reminder of the explosive conditions in the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces stormed the Balata refugee camp in the northern city of Nablus, killing two Palestinians. The Palestinian Ministry of Health identified the two as Saeed Mesha, 32, and Adnan Araj, 19. At least three other Palestinians were injured in the raid, and in recent years there have been near-daily Israeli arrests of suspected militants in the region. Meanwhile, hopes of an early ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad were dashed when Israeli forces bombed the apartment of Islamic Jihad commander Muhammad Abu al-Atta, among other buildings in a populated area early Saturday morning. was Islamic Jihad militants have fired rockets into southern Israel and millions of Israelis have been ordered to stay close to safe rooms and bunkers.
Israeli officials have told media that Egypt-led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire are still ongoing, but that Israel has eliminated the terms outlined in Islamic Jihad in the talks. Although Israel only says it responds to silence with silence, Islamic Jihad is reportedly asking Israel, among other things, to agree to an end to targeted killings. Israeli officials have told local media that attacks will continue and intensify if rockets are fired from Gaza.
Fighting erupted on Tuesday after Israel targeted and killed three senior Islamic Jihad leaders who they accused of being responsible for firing rockets into the country over the past week. At least 10 civilians, including women, infants and neighbors, were killed in the first attack, which drew widespread condemnation.
In recent days, Israel has carried out further airstrikes, killing other Islamic Jihad cadres and destroying headquarters and rocket launch sites. Israel killed Islamic Jihad commander Iyad al-Hasani on Friday on behalf of the group’s military operations leader, who was killed in an airstrike on Tuesday.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health reported that 33 Palestinians were killed, including six children, and more than 147 were injured.
Islamic Jihad responded by firing rockets into southern and central Israel. On Friday, the group stepped up its offensive, firing rockets into Jerusalem and sounding air raid sirens in Israeli settlements south of the disputed capital. Most of the rockets either missed or were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system. But on Thursday, an 80-year-old woman was killed and several others injured when one plane penetrated missile defenses and cut through a house in downtown Rehovot.
Hamas, the large militant group that has dominated Gaza since coming to power in 2007, has praised the Islamic Jihad attacks but has remained on the sidelines, according to Israeli military officials. The range is said to be limited. While the de facto government bears the brunt of the dire situation in the blockaded Gaza Strip, Hamas has recently sought to curb the conflict with Israel. Meanwhile, Islamic Jihad, a more ideological and defiance of violent extremist group, has taken the lead in the recent battle with Israel.
On Saturday, Israeli forces’ deadly raid on the Balata refugee camp shifted the focus of the conflict back to the long-simmering West Bank. Locals said Israeli forces used shoulder-fired rockets to surround militants’ hideouts, triggering massive explosions and sharing footage of smoke billowing from crowded camps. Witnesses said the two Palestinians killed were not the targets of the attack but were among the crowd of protesters who threw stones and explosives at Israeli forces. The Israeli military did not immediately issue a comment.
Fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank is escalating under the most right-wing government in Israeli history. 111 Palestinians have been killed in the occupied territories since the beginning of the year, at least half of them belonging to armed groups, according to an Associated Press tally, the highest death toll in nearly two decades. Meanwhile, Palestinian attacks on Israelis have killed 20 people.
