Seven days of crisis and little reason to hope for a return to calm.
Despite the protests in North America and Europe, especially in Paris, the deadly clashes continued through the night from Saturday to Sunday between Israel and the Gaza Strip, testifying, on both sides, of a will not let go.
If Hamas is trying to achieve a ceasefire, according to the Israeli press, the Israel Defense Forces have recommended that the government approve further attacks before launching an accelerated negotiation process.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday evening that Israel was "still in the middle of this operation, it is still not over and this operation will continue as long as necessary".
The sounds of heavy bombardments activated by Israel roared through the night, as did the hiss of Palestinian rockets from the sophisticated "Iron Dome".
Home of Hamas leader bombed
This Sunday morning, in a flurry of raids, the Jewish state bombed, in Khan Yunis, the house of Yahya Sinwar, head since 2017 of the political and military branches of Hamas in Gaza. He was not at home. One of his brothers, responsible for logistics for the Islamist movement, was also targeted.
In retaliation for the destruction of the al-Jala building, which housed Al Jazeera and Associated Press offices in Gaza City, Hamas fired rocket barrages at Tel Aviv and towns in southern Israel early as well. . The Israelis rushed to bomb shelters as sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in Tel Aviv and the southern city of Beer Sheva. A dozen people were injured as they ran to shelters, doctors said. According to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Hamas has fired more than 2,300 rockets since Monday.
See our Iron Dome in action.
Tonight, Hamas fired a rocket barrage at central and southern Israel.
Together with our operators of the Iron Dome air defense system, these systems help keep Israel's skies safe.
pic.twitter.com/rm5ChFicFV
- IDF (@Tsahal_IDF) May 16, 2021
At least four Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across the coastal enclave, health officials said, and many have been injured.
One of the victims is a neurologist from Gaza.
His wife and daughter were injured, according to doctors and relatives.
Since the attacks began on Monday, this has brought to at least 149 people killed in Gaza, including 41 children, and 10 dead, including two children, in Israel.
UN Security Council meets
Envoys from the United States, the UN and Egypt are working to restore calm, but have yet to show signs of progress.
The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. this Sunday Israeli time (i.e. 4 p.m. KST) to discuss the worst outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian violence in years.
Read alsoClashes between Israel and Hamas: six questions about a conflagration
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke by telephone on Saturday evening with his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz. The statement released by the Pentagon explains that “Secretary Austin has reaffirmed Israel's right to self-defense. He strongly condemned the continued attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups against Israeli civilians. The secretary shared his point of view on the need to restore calm ”.
Joe Biden first spoke with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas. He told him "the need for Hamas to stop firing rockets at Israel." At the same time, and reaffirmed to Benjamin Netanyahu his "strong support for Israel's right to defend itself against" these attacks carried out by the Islamist movement "and other terrorist groups in Gaza", according to separate statements from the executive American.