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Flares of fighting between Israel and Gaza for the second day


The most violent conflict in more than a year between Israel and gunmen in Gaza extended into a second day on Saturday, with rocket fire and air strikes destroying residential buildings, and pushing the The death toll rose to at least 24, according to Palestinian health officials.

Palestinian health officials said that among those killed in the strikes were six children, but Israel says some of the civilian deaths were the result of militants stashing weapons in residential areas and in at least one case a Palestinian rocket killed civilians, including including children, in northern Gaza.

The current round of fighting, which began Friday with Israeli air strikes, has primarily pitted Israel against Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in Gaza. Hamas, the dominant militia in Gaza, has so far avoided direct involvement, raising hopes that the conflict will do not escalate into a larger war.

Renewed tensions underscore the challenge of containing outbreaks in Israel and the occupied territories as both Israeli and Palestinian leaders are divided and politically weak, international attention elsewhere and have little hope of ending the 15-year blockade of the Gaza Strip. of Israel and Egypt.

Professor Nathan J. Brown, a Middle East expert at George Washington University, said: “There is no end to this cycle and it seems unlikely that any actor wants to develop any alternatives. Which is more stable?

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had attacked the settlements of jihadists, which are considered weapons depots. Military officials said that advance warnings were in place and buildings were evacuated before the strikes.

The head of the Israeli military’s operations arm, Major General Oded Basiuk, said that the two-day operation means “basically the entire security leadership of the Palestinian jihadist wing.” in Gaza has been eliminated.”

Islamic Jihad confirmed the death of army chief Taysir al-Jabari in northern Gaza on Friday, but did not confirm Israel’s claim that an airstrike on Saturday killed its commander in the south. Gaza, Khaled Mansour.

After Friday’s airstrike that killed al-Jabari, the Islamic Jihad launched rockets and mortars that sent thousands of Israelis into bomb shelters overnight.

On Saturday, jihadists and other smaller militant groups in Gaza fired rockets at Israeli towns near the territory and cities farther in central Israel, including Tel Aviv, prompting protesters to going to the sea Israel rushed to hide. Israel says IS fired 400 rockets in two days.

Israel said it ordered the air strikes to prevent an impending attack from the jihadist group in Gaza. Earlier this week, Israel arrested a senior figure of the group in the West Bank, prompting threats of retaliation. Israel says its airstrikes are aimed at preventing jihadist organizations from tracking those threats.

On Saturday night, Israel signaled that it was prepared to accept a ceasefire. Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, spokesman for the Israeli military, said: Israel will cease fire if the Jihad ceases fire first.

At least two Israeli soldiers and one civilian were injured, according to Israeli officials and news reports. However, the majority of Palestinian missiles either fell over open areas or were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome air defense system, according to the military.

The only power plant in Gaza has been halted due to the freezing of fuel supplies from Israel, further reducing power in many territories. A senior Israeli military official, speaking to reporters on Saturday on condition of anonymity to comply with military rules, said Israel is in contact with Egypt about how to supply more fuel to the country. Gaza while being fired by rockets.

Since the 11-day war last May, Israel has persuaded Gaza’s militias to avoid violence by issuing 14,000 work permits to Palestinian workers in the territory – the highest number ever. since Hamas took control of the territory in 2007.

About two million people live in Gaza and most do not directly benefit from the new permit. However, permits provide an important source of finance for thousands of families in the region, where nearly one in two residents are unemployed and only one in 10 have direct access to clean water, according to UNICEF.

Despite losing that concession, especially while still rebuilding military infrastructure damaged in the last war, Hamas has avoided a major year-round escalation in Gaza while still encourages instability and violence in Israel and the West Bank.

But the jihadist organization, which, unlike Hamas, does not govern Gaza, is less motivated by small economic concessions.

This is at least the sixth increase in violence in Gaza since Hamas took control in 2007, prompting Israel and Egypt to begin a blockade. Israel was not prepared to end the blockade while Hamas was in power, and while Hamas did not recognize Israel and refused to cease its armed activities.

In the absence of a formal peace process to end the conflict, repeated waves of violence in Gaza, as well as intermittent back-channel diplomatic outbursts, are seen as alternatives to renegotiate the terms of the blockade of Gaza.

“Without anything more permanent, both sides use violence not to defeat the other – much less to eliminate it – but only to adjust the terms, and also to play against the home audience. ,” said Mr. Brown, Middle East expert.

The past two days of conflict in Gaza could be linked to an increase in violence across Israel and the West Bank a few months ago. A series of Palestinian attacks on civilians in Israel in April and May led to an increase in Israeli air strikes on the West Bank, especially in areas that Israeli officials say know who the attackers and their accomplice are.

The Israeli campaign has led to near-nightly arrests across the West Bank over the past several months, culminating in the arrest of Bassem Saadi, a high-ranking jihadist figure, this week.

The new wave of violence is also a reminder of Iran’s role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. While Tehran’s nuclear program is seen by Israel as the biggest threat, Iran also exerts influence in the region by providing financial and logistical assistance to friendly forces across the Middle East. such as Hezbollah, in Lebanon, and the Islamic Jihad and Hamas groups in Gaza.

The crisis is also the first major test for Yair Lapid, Israel’s prime minister, who took office last month after the fall of his predecessor’s government.

The military campaign is a risky gamble for Mr. Lapid, a centrist often overlooked by his main rival, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister who currently leads the opposition. established, derided as inexperienced security.

While it gave Mr. Lapid a chance to demonstrate his security credentials to Israeli voters, it also left him open to accusations that he was endangering the lives of both Israelis and non-Israelis. Palestine.

In Gaza, mourners calculated costs from two days of fighting.

Among those killed since Friday is a 5-year-old girl, Alaa Qadoum. Her relatives wrapped her body in a white shroud and Palestinian flag for burial on Friday. A bright pink bow ties most of her hair back.

“Alaa is a happy little girl and doesn’t hurt anyone,” her grandfather, Riad Qadoum, 56, said in an interview. “She didn’t shoot rockets or fight anyone.”

Colonel Hecht, an Israeli military spokesman, said the child’s father was a senior commander of the jihadist organization, but did not say if he was targeted in the airstrike that killed the child. my daughter or not.

According to doctors at the hospital where he is being treated, the father was injured in the same air strike and is in critical condition. Alaa’s brother was also injured, the grandfather said. The family would not comment on whether the father was involved in jihad.

The senior Israeli military official who briefed reporters on Saturday said he was aware of reports of her death, adding that any civilian deaths will be investigated. However, Israel has previously blamed militants for the deaths of civilians, saying it often places missile launchers and bases near homes and infrastructure.

During a separate meeting for reporters at a military base near the Gaza border in late July, senior Israeli military officials, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations, presented shows maps showing routes they say are parts of a network of militia tunnels, including sections running beneath roads around a major university in Gaza.

The length and scope of the skirmish will partly depend on Hamas involvement.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of Hamas’ political office, said on Friday that the group was “open to all directions”.

But tensions could rise in Jerusalem on Sunday, when Jews will mark Tisha B’Av, celebrates the destruction of two ancient Jewish temples, on a site now sacred to both Jews and Muslims. Large numbers of Jewish worshipers are expected to visit that site, known as the Aqsa Mosque complex or Temple Mount.

Such visits often trigger unrest that could lead to more rocket fire from Gaza.

Raja Abdulrahim, Carol Sutherland and Fady Hanona contributed reporting.



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