The last 24 hours have been the largest and most aggressive attack on the hermetically sealed Gaza Strip since 2014. Over a thousand bombs, grenades and rockets have been fired and let in over Gaza, reports The Jerusalem Post.
The Israeli army calls its ongoing operation Operation «Guardian of the Walls», they write themselves.
– Pay dearly
Red flames lit up the sky as people awoke to the sound of explosions on the outskirts of Gaza City. The attacks were so powerful that people inside the city, several kilometers away, screamed in fear, writes the news agency Ap.
– I said that we would let Hamas pay very dearly. We are doing that now, and we will continue to do so in a powerful way, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a video statement.
Earlier Thursday night, Israeli tanks began firing grenades into the Gaza Strip.
– No place is safe in Gaza
No one on the ground
The Israeli army (IDF) gave the impression that a new phase of ground forces was underway just after midnight on Friday night, it sent out a statement to the media stating that soldiers were in the Gaza Strip. The news agency AFP even got the information confirmed.
Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman released videos that allegedly showed Hamas firing rockets from a residential area in the Gaza Strip. The videos were old and from Syria. Video: Twitter
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“Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus confirmed that Israeli troops had entered the Palestinian enclave without giving any numbers,” AFP wrote.
Two hours later, the IDF sent out a message stating that the confusion was due to internal communication failure, and that there are “no soldiers” in the Gaza Strip.
IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 13, 2021
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9000 reservists
On Thursday, a senior diplomatic source told Israeli Channel 12 that it was considering launching a ground operation to respond to the ongoing rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip against Israel.
9,000 reservists have been put on standby ahead of a possible ground invasion, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said earlier in the day. The statement came two days after the army had approved the mobilization of 5,000 reservists.
DISAGREE: US blocks a joint statement on dramatic developments in the Middle East VIDEO: Johannes Worsøe Berg REPORTER: Vegard Kvaale
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Rockets
The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians picked up speed on Monday night when Hamas began firing rockets at Jerusalem in response to what Hamas believed were Israeli provocations. Hamas claimed to want to protect Jerusalem. Israel responded quickly with airstrikes against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip.
Since then, almost 2,000 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel.
On the Israeli side, seven people have been reported killed, among them a small boy, as well as a number of wounded.
The Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip Ministry of Health says 109 Palestinians have been killed, including 28 children and 15 women, and 621 wounded. Hamas and Islamic Holy War (Jihad) have confirmed around 20 killed among their own, and several military leaders are said to be among them.
– Has gone from bad to worse
Attacks and clashes
The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that extremist Jews have clashed with both Israeli Arabs and police, and Israeli Arabs have clashed with Israeli police, in several cities in the country. Netanyahu and several other senior politicians have condemned the clashes.
In Tel Aviv, a group of right-wing extremist Jews marched through the Hatikva neighborhood on Thursday, shouting “death over the Arabs.” Later, clashes broke out in which journalists were also attacked.
– Nothing can justify lynching Arabs committed by Jews. And nothing can justify lynching Jews perpetrated by Arabs, Netanyahu said Thursday.
He warned that Israel is now fighting a battle “on two fronts”.
Israel is threatened by civil war
Security Council
On Friday night, the Norwegian authorities confirmed that the UN Security Council will meet on Sunday at 10 am (16 Norwegian time) at the request of Norway, China and Tunisia.
This will be the third meeting on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in less than a week. The UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Monday and Wednesday, both times at the request of Norway, China and Tunisia. Both times, the three countries presented proposals for a joint statement that the United States would not support.
– It is more a question of whether it is appropriate with a statement now or not, compared with other initiatives they have, said Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Søreide (H) to NTB on Wednesday when she commented on the US position.
The third meeting on Sunday will be open doors.
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