At least 20 dead in Gaza Strip in new spike of violence between Israelis and Palestinians

05/10/2021 18:01

• Clarín.com

• World

Updated 05/10/2021 18:01

At least twenty Palestinians, including nine children,

were killed in the Gaza Strip and 65 were injured

in the midst of an escalation of violence with Israel, which included the massive firing of rockets from the enclave, which sounded alarms in a tense Jerusalem.

The Israeli Army bombed in response in the Strip

, although it could not ensure that all those killed were from these attacks.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Palestinian gunfire crossed a "red line" today, while anti-aircraft alarms continued to sound in different parts of Israel.

As expected, and after weeks of riots in Jerusalem, this Monday the Holy City woke up with high tension and the irruption of the Israeli Police in the Esplanade of the Mosques,

which left more than 300 injured in clashes

.

Skirmishes at the Damascus Gate, one of the main entrances to the walled city, also began in the morning when dozens of Palestinians gathered

to prevent the passage of an ultra-nationalist Jewish march through occupied East Jerusalem.

Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip.

AFP photo

Meanwhile, the Ezdin al Qasam brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, issued an ultimatum to Israel to withdraw police officers from the Esplanade and the Jerusalem neighborhood of Seij Yarrah, also with daily protests, and

release those detained

in the riots. of these days.

Shortly after the threat deadline was reached, anti-aircraft alarms went off in Jerusalem,

something that had not happened since 2014.

Rockets from Gaza

The armed wing of Hamas

 fired seven projectiles, six of them aimed at Jerusalem

, of which one was intercepted, another fell on a house on the outskirts of the city and the rest in unpopulated areas.

The explosions were heard throughout the city.

Palestinian militias joined in the launch and

more than 50 shots were fired

throughout the afternoon

, mostly against Israeli communities bordering the Strip.

In addition, the Islamist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for launching an anti-tank missile at an Israeli vehicle, slightly wounding a civilian.

Fire in the Gaza Strip.

AP Photo

"We have the capacity, the authority and

the intention to give a strong blow to Hamas,

" said an Israeli Army spokesman in response to the shooting, anticipating that "the escalation will last a long time."

A military spokesman confirmed retaliatory bombings against targets of Hamas, which de facto controls the enclave, and targeted attacks

that killed three militants.

Witnesses from Beit Hanun, where one of the blasts occurred, said the deaths of the minors and other Palestinians

were caused by a failed rocket launch that hit a home.

The enclave's Ministry of Health confirmed the death of 20 people and reported that the number of injured reached 65.

Tension in Jerusalem

The tension in the Holy City led the Israeli Police to

divert at the last moment the route of the march of

Jewish

ultranationalists

that every year commemorates Jerusalem Day, for which they consider the reunification of the city in 1967, which for the population Palestine marked the beginning of the occupation.

However, the riots continued around the Old City and at the sound of anti-aircraft alarms the Palestinians gathered at the Damascus Gate

celebrated the launch of rockets from Gaza.

The Western Wall, the main Jewish place of worship and where the march ended, which was interrupted,

was temporarily evacuated.

The situation in occupied East Jerusalem has been the trigger for this new clash between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

With the start of Ramadan, the blocking of the steps of the Damascus Gate, which was later lifted, generated a protest movement among young people that has grown to provoke daily clashes with the Israeli Police.

In parallel, the Seij Yarrah neighborhood, also in the eastern part of the city, has

been

witnessing

daily protests for weeks

against the possible eviction of Palestinian families in favor of Jewish organizations.

The irruption of the Israeli Police in the Esplanade and in the Al Aqsa mosque - the third most sacred place for Islam - last Friday and this morning with hundreds of wounded also increased the tension.

The West Bank and Arab communities in Israel

have also held protests in support of the riots in Jerusalem.

"We are in a fight that has spread to several fronts: Jerusalem, Gaza and other parts of the country," Netanyahu admitted today and warned that Israel "will respond with force" and will not allow "damage to our territory, our capital. , our citizens and our soldiers. "

Source: EFE and AFP

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