Violence between Israel and Islamic Jihad group escalates

Israeli airstrike on the Gaza Strip

According to Palestinian sources, at least eight people were killed in the attacks and another 55 people were injured.

(Photo: dpa)

Tel Aviv With Israeli airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip and rocket attacks from there on Israeli cities, the two sides continued their heaviest clash in more than a year on Saturday. According to the Israeli Air Force, it attacked arms depots set up by militant Palestinians in residential areas. For its part, the Islamic Jihad group fired hundreds of rockets into Israeli territory.

Egypt now wants to arbitrate. A delegation is ready to travel to Israel and Gaza to mediate, as the German Press Agency learned from security circles in Cairo. The aim is to prevent the conflict from spreading like it did last year.

The Israeli air strikes are also said to concern the UN Security Council in New York on Monday. Diplomatic circles said on Saturday that a meeting of the United Nations’ most powerful body had been requested by the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, France, Norway and China. A time has not yet been set. The meeting will take place behind closed doors.

The Israeli military launched the “Dawn” military operation with several airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday after threats of attacks on Israeli civilians. The target of the attacks was the Organization of Islamic Jihad (PIJ), which is the second strongest military force in Gaza after Hamas.

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Military chief Taisir al-Jabari and other PIJ members were killed. The group, which is closely linked to Israel’s arch-enemy Iran, has been classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US. According to the military, al-Jabari was responsible for rocket attacks from the coastal strip and planned attacks on civilians.

According to Palestinian sources, the death toll continued to rise on Saturday. At least 24 people have been killed and 203 injured since Friday, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said on Saturday evening. Six children and two women were among the dead.

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According to information from Palestinian security circles, three residential buildings were hit in the attacks on Saturday. A five-story apartment building west of Gaza City was destroyed. Local residents reported that Israeli drones previously fired a warning missile at the building before fighter jets attacked the building.

In Gaza, the power supply has been reduced

Warning sirens could be heard in several cities in Israel on Saturday. According to a military official, more than 300 rockets have been fired at Israel since Friday evening. They fell on open ground or were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Some of them ended up in the Gaza Strip.

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Several cities, including the coastal city of Tel Aviv, opened public air raid shelters out of fear of further attacks. In the south, numerous people spent the night there. A test match between Juventus Turin and Atlético Madrid in Tel Aviv has been canceled due to security concerns. People in the greater Tel Aviv area were also warned of rockets on Saturday.

In the meantime, the only power plant in Gaza has been shut down due to a lack of fuel. According to the electricity company, the power supply in the coastal area with more than 2 million inhabitants was reduced from twelve to four hours. Israel stopped importing fuel into the area on Monday, citing fears of attacks after the arrest of a West Bank Islamic Jihad leader, Bassem Saadi.

After Saadi’s arrest, Israel cordoned off areas on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip for several days and increased the state of alert. Before the Israeli airstrikes on Friday, there were reportedly concrete plans to attack Israeli civilians.

No end of conflict in sight

According to a report on Saturday, the Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad did not seem ready for a ceasefire for the time being. “Our top priority now is to resist the occupation, counter the aggression and respond to this terror and these attacks on our people,” spokesman Dawud Shihab said, according to Al-Majadin TV channel. According to experts, it is now crucial how Hamas reacts to the attacks.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Saturday, “Our operational activities against the perpetrators of terrorism will continue and intensify.” The military previously announced that it was preparing for a week-long operational activity. A meeting of the security cabinet was convened on Saturday evening.

The EU is following the events with great concern and is calling on all sides to exercise the utmost restraint, said an EU spokesman. “While Israel has the right to protect its civilian population, everything must be done to prevent the conflict from escalating.”

Israel’s armed forces fought an 11-day conflict with militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip last year. According to Palestinian information, 255 people died at the time, and 13 people died in Israel, according to Israeli authorities. According to Israeli sources, more than 4,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip. Egypt eventually brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel conquered the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, among other things. Hamas seized power by force in 2007. Israel then tightened a blockade of the area, supported by Egypt. Both countries justify the measure with security interests.

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