More than 1,500 rockets hit Israeli territory, continuous airstrikes in the Gaza Strip and more than 70 dead as of Monday. The conflict between Hamas and the Jewish state shows no sign of de-escalation, fueling fears of a “large-scale war”.
The latest known victim of the military escalation was a Palestinian who was killed during a confrontation with the Israeli army near the city of Nablus, as announced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health in the early hours of Thursday (Greek time), which increased to three the number of dead. episodes on Wednesday in the occupied West Bank.
The death toll comes amid escalating military escalation between Israel and Hamas in and around the Gaza Strip , as well as violence in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Israeli cities with “mixed” Arab-Israeli populations .
The Israeli army said Wednesday night that its men opened fire on a Palestinian ” attacker ” near Nablus and ” neutralized ” him, without confirming his death or going into details about the bloody incident.
According to sources in Nablus, the Palestinian who lost his name was Mohammed al-Najjar and he was 35 years old. The “attack” left two more wounded, according to sources close to the Israeli army.
Earlier in the day, a 16-year-old Palestinian , Rashid Abuara, was killed by bullets to the head and chest in the village of Aqaba, north of Nablus, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
Hussein al-Titi, a 26-year-old Palestinian , was killed in incidents with the Israeli army in the al-Fawar refugee camp near Hebron, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said.
The Israeli military said in a statement that the incident took place during an ” operation” , when ” violent riots ” broke out and soldiers saw ” rioters ” preparing to throw objects at their colleagues, ” reacting and opening fire “.
In Gaza, 65 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes, including 16 children and many Hamas commanders.
Israeli forces say they have killed a total of ten Hamas officials and members of the Islamic Jihad, the second-largest militant group in the Gaza Strip, in raids since Monday night.
” More than 1,500 rockets “
Nearly 1,500 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip against Israeli cities since Monday night, when the military escalation between Hamas and Israel began, the Israeli army announced today.
An army spokesman said Wednesday morning that about 1,000 rockets had been fired by armed groups in the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. Earlier on Thursday, the Israeli army reported “about” 1,500 rockets.
Hamas has launched a first round of rocket fire on Israel in a show of “solidarity” with the more than 900 Palestinians injured in clashes with Israeli police in occupied East Jerusalem.
In addition to the rising death toll, 335 Palestinians were injured in the raids, many of whom were rescued from the rubble of buildings engulfed in flames. On the Israeli side, more than 100 people were injured.
Israel and Hamas are heading for a “large-scale war”, the UN special envoy for the Middle East, Thor Venezland, warned yesterday, as there is no sign of escalation of tension.
Rockets to Galilee
For the first time since the start of the military escalation with Hamas in progress, the Israeli army spoke on Thursday (13/5) about an alarm due to rockets being fired against the northern part of the country.
To date, rockets fired from the Gaza Strip by Hamas have triggered air defense sirens in southern and central Israel, but not in the north.
But today sirens sounded again not only in the metropolis of Tel Aviv, where the inhabitants rushed to the shelters, but also in the valley of Israel, in Galilee .
As of Monday night, about 1,500 rockets had been fired from the Palestinian coastal enclave against Israeli territory, according to the army’s latest report.
According to the Israeli army, 350 of the launches ” failed “, while ” hundreds ” of rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile system. Seven people have been killed in Israel, including a six-year-old boy and a soldier, by rocket and anti-tank missiles fired from the Gaza Strip.
For its part, the Israeli army is pounding the Gaza Strip with fighter jets and attack helicopters, where it continues bombing in the early hours of today, according to a French Agency reporter.
The extension of the blows in the Gaza Strip was approved
The co-responsible ministers of the Israeli government on Wednesday (12/5) approved plans to intensify military operations against targets in the Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media.
According to an Israeli television station, the army will target ” symbols of Hamas power ” in the Palestinian coastal enclave.
According to the same source, it has already been announced that the Hamas Ministry of Finance will be bombed in the center of Gaza City, in order to make it harder for the Islamist organization that rules the region to maintain control over the economic situation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly spoken out against a ceasefire at the time.
Biden: Israel has the right to self-defense
US President Joe Biden has condemned the firing of hundreds of rockets fired by Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip against Israeli territory during a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden ” condemned the attacks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations with rockets ” against ” Jerusalem and Tel Aviv “, among other things, according to the statement. He reiterated his ” unwavering support for Israel’s security and for Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself and its people, with the protection of civilians .”
The US presidency also said that the head of state urged his interlocutor to seek a ” way to restore lasting calm ” and briefed him on his government’s contacts with governments in the region and Palestinian officials.
Speaking to reporters, Biden said his ” expectation and hope ” was that the military escalation would ” end soon “, insisting ” but Israel has a right to defend itself “.
The US president did not explain why he was optimistic.
On the other hand, Netanyahu’s services issued a press release stating that the Israeli prime minister stressed to the American president that his country’s armed forces will ” continue to hit ” positions of Hamas and other ” terrorist organizations operating in the Gaza Strip “. .
