- Israeli forces are positioned along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip
- There have been heavy airstrikes and artillery fire on various targets inside Gaza throughout the night
- Rockets continue to come from the Gaza Strip towards Israel. A rocket was also fired from Lebanon
- Clashes in Israeli cities between extremist Jews and Palestinian residents with Israeli citizenship continue
- The Israeli government has rejected a Russian proposal for a ceasefire
- UN chief António Guterres asks the parties to reconsider with regard to id
Full confusion about ground forces
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) wrote on Friday night that they are attacking Gaza with both air and ground forces.
The news agency AFP then reported that Israeli forces were on their way into the Gaza Strip, after being confirmed by the spokesman for the Israeli army, Jonathan Conricus.
At 01.32 the counter message came. In a new report, the IDF stated that no Israeli soldiers had crossed the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli defense blamed poor communication internally.
Residents are fleeing
In live images over Gaza, the sound of drones or other aircraft and several loud bangs were heard on Friday night.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz calls the attacks among the most violent in several years.
Residents in the northern Gaza Strip told Reuters that they have not seen Israeli soldiers, but that they have experienced heavy gunfire and a number of airstrikes.
Many videos of bomb rain were shared on social media over the northern part of the Gaza Strip. Israeli tanks also fired artillery shells into the area on Thursday night.
Palestinian families are now fleeing the northern part in panic, he writes Jerusalem Post.
The video from a Twitter user (video below) must have been filmed during the night’s attack. It shows several rockets hitting houses in what is to be the northern Gaza Strip.
Another video from a Twitter user was filmed inside a house, and is supposed to be from the attacks last night. In the video, you hear several voices shouting, and children crying.
On Thursday, the health authorities in Gaza announced that 109 Palestinians, including 27 minors, had been killed. Over 621 are injured.
Hamas responds with rockets
There have also been several rocket attacks from Hamas against Israel throughout the evening and night.
The attacks from Hamas are aimed at Ben Gurion International Airport, and the cities of Ashkelon and Ashdod, writes ynetnews.
Three men are said to have been injured after rocket attacks in Ashkelon, reports The Times of Israel.
A Palestinian group in Lebanon is also said to have fired a rocket at Israel, according to Haaretz.
According to the Israeli military, the number of rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel passed 1600. Haaretz writes that seven have died in Israel as a result of the attacks.
Will continue as long as necessary
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will continue its operation for as long as necessary.
– I have said that we will demand a very high price for Hamas, and we will continue with great strength. The last word has not been said, and this operation will continue as long as it is needed, Netanyahu said in a statement.
He promises to restore law and order, and urges Israelis not to take the law into their own hands.
Night to Friday, there are also riots clashes between Jews and Palestinians in several cities in Israel.
According to Times of Israel Several have been arrested for riots in Musmus, near Haifa, and in Beersheba.
Rejected proposal for a ceasefire
Late Wednesday night, Israel rejected a proposal for a mutual ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which came via the Russian Foreign Ministry, according to ynetnews.com.
Egyptian diplomats have also come to Tel Aviv. The diplomats are said to have already met Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip before traveling on to Israel.
The Security Council will meet on Sunday
The international community is working hard to reduce the violence between Israel and Palestinian groups in the Gaza Strip.
The UN Security Council will meet in the Middle East on Sunday.
The meeting was requested by Tunisia, Norway and China, and was actually scheduled for Friday.
The US blocked the meeting from being held on Friday, but has agreed to move it to Sunday, according to AFP.
The country has flown out 120 employees have flown out of Israel, according to the Times of Israel. In addition, the United States urges Americans not to travel to Israel.
This will be the third meeting on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in less than a week.
The Security Council met behind closed doors on Monday and Wednesday. On Sunday, the plan is for the meeting to be open and for Israeli and Palestinian representatives to attend.
Should have celebrated id
Normally, the streets of Gaza City and the surrounding areas should be filled with people who started the ID celebration on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres calls for a ceasefire in honor of the ID celebration in a Twitter message.
– In respect of ID, I ask that the conflict between Gaza and Israel ends. Many innocent people have already lost their lives. This can only increase radicalization and extremism throughout the region, he writes.
The UN has previously warned against that it is heading for full war between Israel and militant Palestinians.
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