According to the news agency, explosions could be heard for about ten minutes, and the airstrikes were heavier than those on Gaza this weekend. In the night from Saturday to Sunday, according to Palestinian health authorities at least 42 dead.
‘As long as necessary’
Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu already had last night announced that the military operation of the Israeli army against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip would not be over for the time being. Hamas is the militant organization that has ruled Gaza since 2007. Netanyahu said the Israeli military will take action “as long as necessary” to restore calm.
On Saturday evening, the Israeli Prime Minister had spoken in similar terms. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh responded that Hamas’s resistance has not been broken.
Ceasefire
Meanwhile, international pressure is mounting for a ceasefire. For example, in a digital meeting yesterday, the 15 members of the UN Security Council expressed their concerns about the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
The Council however failed again to come up with a joint statement on the violence. Until now, the US delegation has withheld such a statement. The Americans would fear that condemning the violence would complicate their mediation between the two sides. On Saturday, the American top diplomat Hady Amr landed in Tel Aviv, with the aim of getting the parties to the table.
President Biden said in a pre-recorded video last night that his government is working with Israelis and Palestinians for “lasting peace.” Both sides deserve to live in safety and security and enjoy freedom, prosperity and democracy to the same extent, he said.
“I think Israel has been given a few more days by America to finish its list of targets,” said correspondent Ankie Rechess in the newspaper. NOS Radio 1 News. “International pressure is also increasing on Israel, so it actually looks like there is a truce or a truce on the way.”
“The most dangerous moment is now, because before a file is there, everyone wants to continue showing who has won the victory,” said Rechess. “Then if there comes some attack, from any side, that claims a lot of victims, then we’ll be back to square one and the violence will just continue.”
Heavy fighting
The conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip flared up a week ago, with air strikes back and forth. It is the toughest fighting since the 2014 Gaza war.
According to the Palestinian Ministry of Health, 197 Palestinians have been killed since Monday, including 58 children. At least 1,235 were also injured. On the Israeli side, ten people have been killed so far in the past week, including two children, Reuters news agency reports.
In this video, NOS op 3 explains why violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories has now flared up again:
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