Israel-Gaza: Tensions remain high after a night of heavy weapons fire between the
Gaza Strip and Israel
killing of at least 10 people in Israeli air strikes.
Militant leader Tayseer Jabari was among the dead. Israel said the strikes followed an
“immediate threat” from his Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group.
A five-year-old girl in Gaza also died, local health officials said, and dozens more
were injured.
PIJ responded by firing more than 100 rockets into Israel overnight “in an initial
response”.
Most were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence shield, but sirens
sounded in a number of Israeli cities throughout the night.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had resumed rocket strikes against multiple
militant positions in Gaza, continuing the attacks into the early hours of the
morning.
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On Saturday, Israel said it had arrested 19 members of PIJ in raids across the West
Bank. The overnight exchange of fire marks the most serious escalation in violence
since May 2021’s 11-day war, which left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen
Israelis dead before a ceasefire was agreed.
Egypt, which has acted as a mediator between the two sides in the past, is reportedly
offering to act as a go-between once again in a bid to prevent further escalation.
Cairo officials were preparing on Saturday to host a potential delegation of PIJ
representatives as part of that process, Egyptian media said.
Referring to the initial strike on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: “Israel
carried out a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat.”
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said:
“We don’t know how this will play out… but this could take time… this could be a
lengthy round [of conflict] and a hard one.”
The IDF said its attacks targeted sites linked to PIJ, including the high-rise Palestine
Tower in Gaza City which was hit on Friday in a loud explosion that left smoke
pouring from the building.
An Israeli military spokesman estimated “about 15 militants” were killed in the
operation.
Local health officials inside Gaza say four PIJ militants, including Tayseer Jabari, have
been killed since the strikes started.
The IDF said Tayseer Jabari was a “senior commander” in PIJ, and accused him of
having committed “multiple terrorist attacks” against Israeli civilians.
Five-year-old Alaa Kaddum was among those killed in the strikes, local officials also
said.
Gaza authorities said another 79 people were also injured, AFP news agency reports.
In remarks delivered while on a trip to the Iranian capital Tehran, PIJ secretary
general Ziyad al-Nakhala said: “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”.
Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, said the armed groups were “united” in battle
and would not keep silent.
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