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Protests in the Gaza Strip: Last week there were violent confrontations between Palestinians and the Israeli police in Jerusalem
Photo: MOHAMMED SABER / EPA
After clashes between police and Palestinians in Jerusalem, the situation in the Gaza Strip comes to a head.
Now the Israeli authorities have responded to the ongoing rocket attacks from the Palestinian Territory and closed the fishing zone in front of the Gaza Strip.
The measure applies until further notice, said the responsible authority Cogat.
According to the Israeli army, a total of five rockets were fired during the night.
The first exploded in the Gaza Strip.
After this incident, Cogat first announced a reduction in the fishing zone.
A little later, however, Palestinian militants fired four more rockets.
Warning sirens wailed in the town of Sderot.
Two of the projectiles were reportedly intercepted by the "iron dome" defense system, and a third landed in the Gaza Strip.
According to media reports, the fourth went down in the open.
There were initially no reports of injuries or damage.
In the morning, Cogar announced the complete closure of the fishing zone.
Since Friday evening, around 40 projectiles have been fired at Israel from the Palestinian Territory.
The attacks followed violent confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli police in Jerusalem last week.
Videos heat up tensions
In the past few days, tensions between Muslim Palestinians and Jewish Israelis had been fueled by a series of videos.
They showed how young Arabs attack ultra-Orthodox Jews and how Jewish extremists harass Arabs on the street at night.
On Thursday evening, the right-wing extremist Jewish Lehava organization organized a march in Jerusalem. According to the Palestinian aid organization Red Crescent, at least 105 people were injured in clashes between Levaha supporters and angry Palestinians on Thursday. According to the authorities, there were also 20 injured police officers. It was the worst clash between Israelis and Palestinians in years.
In August 2020, the Islamist Hamas, which ruled the Gaza Strip, announced a ceasefire with Israel following mediation from Qatar.
But even after that there were always violations.
Israel tightened a blockade of the Gaza Strip in 2007, which is now supported by Egypt.
Both countries justify the measure with security considerations.
Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US and the EU.
asc / dpa