Gaza under attack by Israeli air strikes

• Israel says it has resumed rocket attacks on militant positions in Gaza.
• At least 15 militants, including a five-year-old girl, have been killed in overnight exchanges of fire.
• Most rockets were intercepted by Iron Dome missile defence shield, but sirens were heard throughout Israel.

Tensions remain high following a night of heavy weapon fire between Gaza and Israel. Following the deaths of at least ten people in Israeli air strikes, dozens of rockets fired from Gaza lit up the sky.

Tayseer Jabari, a militant leader, was among those killed. Israel claimed the strikes were in response to a “immediate threat” from his Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) organization.

A five-year-old girl was also killed in Gaza, according to local health officials, and dozens more were injured.

In a “initial response,” the PIJ fired more than 100 rockets into Israel overnight.

The majority were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence shield, but sirens were heard in several Israeli cities throughout the night.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had resumed rocket attacks on multiple militant positions in Gaza, continuing into the early morning hours.

On Saturday, Israel announced the arrest of 19 PIJ members in West Bank raids.

The overnight exchange of fire is the most serious escalation in violence since an 11-day war in May 2021 that killed more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis before a ceasefire was reached.

Egypt, which has previously served as a go-between between the two sides, is reportedly offering to serve as a go-between once more in an effort to prevent further escalation.

According to Egyptian media, Cairo officials were preparing to host a potential delegation of PIJ representatives as part of that process on Saturday.
“Israel carried out a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat,” Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said of the initial strike on Friday.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked stated, “We don’t know how this will play out… but it could take time… this could be a long and difficult round of conflict.”

The IDF stated that its attacks targeted PIJ-related sites, including the high-rise Palestine Tower in Gaza City, which was hit on Friday by a loud explosion that sent smoke pouring from the building.

According to an Israeli military spokesman, “about 15 militants” were killed in the operation.

According to local health officials in Gaza, four PIJ militants, including Tayseer Jabari, have been killed since the strikes began.

Tayseer Jabari was a “senior commander” in PIJ, according to the IDF, and he was accused of carrying out “multiple terrorist attacks” against Israeli civilians.

Local officials also said that five-year-old Alaa Kaddum was among those killed in the strikes.

According to the AFP news agency, another 79 people were injured in Gaza.

During a visit to Tehran, PIJ Secretary General Ziyad al-Nakhala stated, “We will respond forcefully to this aggression, and there will be a fight in which our people will win.”

“There are no red lines for this battle… and Tel Aviv will be under the rockets of the resistance”.

The Gaza Strip’s ruler, Hamas, said the armed groups were “united” in battle and would not remain silent.

The latest conflict comes on the heels of Israel’s arrest of Bassem Saadi, the PIJ’s West Bank leader, on Monday night.

He was detained in Jenin as part of an ongoing series of arrests following a wave of attacks by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that killed 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians. Two of the attackers were from the Jenin neighbourhood.
Following the arrest of Bassem Saadi, Israel warned that the PIJ planned to attack civilians and soldiers in retaliation, and increased security measures for communities near the Gaza border.

The PIJ, one of the most powerful militant groups operating in Gaza, is supported by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital of Damascus.

It has been responsible for numerous attacks against Israel, including rocket fire and shootings.

In November 2019, Israel and the PIJ fought a five-day conflict after Israel killed a PIJ commander who Israel claimed was planning an imminent attack. The violence killed 34 Palestinians and injured 111 others, while 63 Israelis required medical attention.

Israel claimed that 25 of those killed were militants, including those preparing to launch rockets.

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