Fri. Mar 29th, 2024

Israel kills second Islamic Jihad leader, Gaza death toll mounts<!-- wp:html --><div></div> <div> <p class="m-pub-dates"><span class="m-pub-dates__date">Issued on: 07/08/2022 – 08:07</span></p> </div> <p> An Israeli airstrike killed a second senior commander of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, the fighters said Sunday as the death toll from violence in Gaza rose to 32, including six children, according to Palestinian health officials. As Israel continued its attack, Palestinian militants retaliated with barrages of rockets fired at Israel. </p> <div> <p>The late Saturday killing of Khaled Mansour, who led Islamic Jihad’s Iranian-backed operations in the southern Gaza Strip, came a day after another Israeli strike killed the militant’s commander in the north.</p> <p>The death toll from violence in Gaza since Israel launched its latest attacks on Friday has risen to 32, including six children, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said on Sunday. More than 215 others were injured in the attacks. </p> <p>Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israel continued its operation against the Islamic Jihad group, which arrested 20 suspects during nighttime raids, the military said on Sunday. </p> <p>Palestinian militants retaliated with rockets fired at Israel, triggering airstrikes in Jerusalem, the Israeli army said Sunday. Islamic Jihad later confirmed that the group had fired rockets at Jerusalem. </p> <p>The hundreds of missiles that Islamic Jihad has fired in response is why the operation is continuing, said Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar, a member of the decision-making security cabinet. </p> <p>Another potential focal point loomed on Sunday when Jews visited a large mosque in Jerusalem to commemorate two ancient temples that they venerate as remnants of those shrines. Palestinians consider such visits a religious and political insult.</p> <h2>Israeli attack kills militant commander, flattens homes</h2> <p>Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades confirmed on Sunday that an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah killed Mansour and two comrades. The militants said the attack also killed five civilians, including a child and three women, while smashing several houses.</p> <p>The fighting started on Friday with Israel’s assassination of a high-ranking Islamic Jihad commander in a spate of attacks that Israel said were intended to prevent an imminent attack.</p> <p>Hamas, the larger militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, appeared to have remained on the sidelines of the conflict for the time being and kept its response limited. Israel and Hamas fought a war barely a year ago, one of four major conflicts and several minor battles over the past 15 years that took a dizzying toll on the 2 million Palestinian residents of the impoverished area.</p> <p>Daily life in the strip has come to a halt, as the electricity distributor said the sole power plant was shut down due to a lack of fuel after Israel closed its border crossings.</p> <p>Gaza’s health ministry said the coming hours will be “critical and difficult”, and warned it risked suspending vital services within 72 hours due to the lack of electricity.</p> <h2>‘We are all alone’</h2> <p>In Gaza City, resident Dounia Ismail said Palestinians had become accustomed to preparing a “survival bag” containing items such as money and medicines.</p> <p>“This latest escalation is bringing back images of fear, anxiety and the feeling that we are all alone,” she told AFP.</p> <p>Meanwhile, civilians in southern and central Israel have been forced into air raid shelters since Friday.</p> <p>The Magen David Adom emergency service said two people were hospitalized with shrapnel and 13 others suffered minor injuries while running for safety.</p> <p>In kibbutz Nahal Oz, an Israeli community near the border with Gaza, resident Nadav Peretz said he had been “in the bomb shelter or around it” since Friday. </p> <p>“We recognize that on the other side there is also an uninvolved civilian population, and on both sides children deserve to enjoy their summer vacation,” the 40-year-old said.</p> <h2>All eyes on Hamas </h2> <p>Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, but often acts independently. Both are blacklisted as terrorist organizations by much of the West.</p> <p>Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since taking control of Gaza in 2007, including last May’s conflict. </p> <p>A flare-up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, after Israel’s assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari’s predecessor. Hamas did not get involved in that conflict.</p> <p>Hamas’ moves now could be crucial as the group faces pressure from some to restore calm to improve economic conditions in Gaza.</p> <p>The focus on Sunday will be partly on Jerusalem, where some Jews will celebrate the Day of Remembrance of Tisha Be’av by visiting the most sensitive religious site of the holy city, the Al Aqsa Mosque, known in Judaism as the Temple Mount. </p> <p>Tensions at the compound in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem have previously sparked wider violence, and Hamas’ Doha-based chief Ismail Haniyeh has warned not to allow Jews to “storm” the compound on Sunday because this could lead to an “uncontrollable” security crisis. events in Gaza. </p> <p><em>(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)</em></p> </div><!-- /wp:html -->

Issued on: 07/08/2022 – 08:07

An Israeli airstrike killed a second senior commander of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, the fighters said Sunday as the death toll from violence in Gaza rose to 32, including six children, according to Palestinian health officials. As Israel continued its attack, Palestinian militants retaliated with barrages of rockets fired at Israel.

The late Saturday killing of Khaled Mansour, who led Islamic Jihad’s Iranian-backed operations in the southern Gaza Strip, came a day after another Israeli strike killed the militant’s commander in the north.

The death toll from violence in Gaza since Israel launched its latest attacks on Friday has risen to 32, including six children, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said on Sunday. More than 215 others were injured in the attacks.

Meanwhile, in the West Bank, Israel continued its operation against the Islamic Jihad group, which arrested 20 suspects during nighttime raids, the military said on Sunday.

Palestinian militants retaliated with rockets fired at Israel, triggering airstrikes in Jerusalem, the Israeli army said Sunday. Islamic Jihad later confirmed that the group had fired rockets at Jerusalem.

The hundreds of missiles that Islamic Jihad has fired in response is why the operation is continuing, said Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar, a member of the decision-making security cabinet.

Another potential focal point loomed on Sunday when Jews visited a large mosque in Jerusalem to commemorate two ancient temples that they venerate as remnants of those shrines. Palestinians consider such visits a religious and political insult.

Israeli attack kills militant commander, flattens homes

Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades confirmed on Sunday that an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah killed Mansour and two comrades. The militants said the attack also killed five civilians, including a child and three women, while smashing several houses.

The fighting started on Friday with Israel’s assassination of a high-ranking Islamic Jihad commander in a spate of attacks that Israel said were intended to prevent an imminent attack.

Hamas, the larger militant group that rules the Gaza Strip, appeared to have remained on the sidelines of the conflict for the time being and kept its response limited. Israel and Hamas fought a war barely a year ago, one of four major conflicts and several minor battles over the past 15 years that took a dizzying toll on the 2 million Palestinian residents of the impoverished area.

Daily life in the strip has come to a halt, as the electricity distributor said the sole power plant was shut down due to a lack of fuel after Israel closed its border crossings.

Gaza’s health ministry said the coming hours will be “critical and difficult”, and warned it risked suspending vital services within 72 hours due to the lack of electricity.

‘We are all alone’

In Gaza City, resident Dounia Ismail said Palestinians had become accustomed to preparing a “survival bag” containing items such as money and medicines.

“This latest escalation is bringing back images of fear, anxiety and the feeling that we are all alone,” she told AFP.

Meanwhile, civilians in southern and central Israel have been forced into air raid shelters since Friday.

The Magen David Adom emergency service said two people were hospitalized with shrapnel and 13 others suffered minor injuries while running for safety.

In kibbutz Nahal Oz, an Israeli community near the border with Gaza, resident Nadav Peretz said he had been “in the bomb shelter or around it” since Friday.

“We recognize that on the other side there is also an uninvolved civilian population, and on both sides children deserve to enjoy their summer vacation,” the 40-year-old said.

All eyes on Hamas

Islamic Jihad is aligned with Hamas, but often acts independently. Both are blacklisted as terrorist organizations by much of the West.

Hamas has fought four wars with Israel since taking control of Gaza in 2007, including last May’s conflict.

A flare-up with Islamic Jihad came in 2019, after Israel’s assassination of Baha Abu al-Ata, Jabari’s predecessor. Hamas did not get involved in that conflict.

Hamas’ moves now could be crucial as the group faces pressure from some to restore calm to improve economic conditions in Gaza.

The focus on Sunday will be partly on Jerusalem, where some Jews will celebrate the Day of Remembrance of Tisha Be’av by visiting the most sensitive religious site of the holy city, the Al Aqsa Mosque, known in Judaism as the Temple Mount.

Tensions at the compound in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem have previously sparked wider violence, and Hamas’ Doha-based chief Ismail Haniyeh has warned not to allow Jews to “storm” the compound on Sunday because this could lead to an “uncontrollable” security crisis. events in Gaza.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

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