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Manila Bulletin devider devider Israel strikes Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza despite ceasefire

Israel strikes Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza despite ceasefire

Published Nov 15, 2019 12:07 pm
By Agence France-Presse Israel launched fresh strikes against Islamic Jihad targets in Gaza, the army said early Friday, weakening a ceasefire put in place after fighting this week killed 34 Palestinians in exchanges of fire. Smoke rises over Gaza City as Israel carries out air and missile strikes (AFP / MAHMUD HAMS / MANILA BULLETIN) Smoke rises over Gaza City as Israel carries out air and missile strikes (AFP / MAHMUD HAMS / MANILA BULLETIN) The ceasefire began Thursday morning following two days of deadly violence in the Gaza Strip triggered by an Israeli strike on an Islamic Jihad commander. Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told reporters that new overnight strikes were underway on Islamic Jihad, the second most powerful Palestinian militant group in Gaza after Hamas. It came after five rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza -- also after the ceasefire came into effect -- with two of them intercepted by air defences, according to the army. "The IDF views the violation of the ceasefire and rockets directed at Israel with great severity," the army said in a news release. Israel's military was prepared to "continue operating as necessary against all attempts to harm Israel civilians", it said. Two injured citizens were being treated in hospital in the southern part of the territory, according to the health ministry in Gaza. The ceasefire brokered by Egyptian and UN officials, the usual mediators between Gaza and Israel, was agreed as the flare-up raised fears of a new all-out conflict. During the day on Thursday normal life had resumed quietly in Israeli regions near the Gaza border, while in Gaza, citizens had also embraced the return of relative calm. "We hope for peace, we don't want war," said Mahmoud Jarda, an inhabitant of the enclave. Bomb shelters  The escalation began early Tuesday with Israel's targeted killing of a top Islamic Jihad commander, Baha Abu al-Ata, whom it accused of being behind rocket fire and other attacks. The violence came at a politically sensitive time for Israel, with no new government in place since a September election ended in deadlock. The Israeli military says its air defence missiles intercepted dozens of the 450 or so rockets fired by Gaza militants Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Abu al-Ata "was killed alongside dozens of terrorists" after the strike on his home, adding: "Our enemies got the message: We can reach anyone, even in their bed." That strike triggered almost immediate retaliatory rocket fire from Islamic Jihad at Israel, setting off air-raid sirens and sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters in the country's south and central regions. Israel's military said some 450 rockets had been fired at its territory since Tuesday morning and air defences had intercepted dozens of them in fireballs high in the sky. No Israelis were killed, though one rocket narrowly missed speeding cars on a busy highway. Israeli medics said they had treated some 63 people as of Wednesday night for mild injuries and stress. Israel responded with airstrikes, saying it targeted more Islamic Jihad militant sites and rocket- and missile-launching squads.
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