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Smoke billows over Gaza during an Israeli airstrike
Photo:
IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA / REUTERS
The escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians continues: The Israeli air force attacked targets in the Gaza Strip again on Saturday, and the Palestinians continued to fire rockets into Israeli territory.
The attacks follow an Israeli special operation against the militant Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza on Friday.
According to Israeli sources, Tayseer al-Jabari, one of the leading commanders, was killed in the attack.
Islamic Jihad is classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US.
Militant Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired at least 160 rockets across the border as a result, most of which were intercepted, the Israeli military said, according to the Reuters news agency.
A few people in Israel were slightly injured when they ran into shelters.
The dpa news agency, however, reported that more than 190 rockets had been fired at Israel.
They fell on open ground or were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
Around 36 rockets landed inside the Gaza Strip.
Warning sirens could also be heard in several Tel Aviv suburbs in the evening.
According to Palestinian sources, at least eleven people have died since Friday, including Al-Jabari, a five-year-old child and other PIJ members.
More than 80 people were injured.
Israel's armed forces are preparing for a longer deployment.
"The military is prepared for a week's operational activity, as directed by the political level and the chief of staff," the military said.
According to the Israeli military, 19 Islamic Jihad fighters were arrested overnight in the West Bank.
Israeli security forces arrested Bassam al-Saadi, a high-ranking member of Islamic Jihad, there on Monday.
A 17-year-old member of the organization died when he was arrested.
Palestinian leaders said Egypt, the United Nations and Qatar had begun mediation efforts to end the violence.
So far there hasn't been a breakthrough.
"We hope to reach a consensus to return to calm as soon as possible," an Egyptian security official told AFP.
Foreign Office warns of “further rocket attacks on Israel”
In 2019, Israel had already specifically killed Al-Jabari's predecessor, Baha Abu al-Ata.
This was followed at the time by massive rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on Israeli locations and counterattacks by the Israeli Air Force in the coastal strip.
After a few days, a ceasefire was agreed with the help of Egyptian and United Nations negotiators.
The current escalation of violence is the most violent in the Gaza Strip since May last year.
At the time, Hamas had fired rockets towards Israel, whereupon the Israeli Air Force bombed targets in the Gaza Strip.
More than 260 people were killed in the Gaza Strip during the 11-day fighting, and 13 were killed in Israel.
The Federal Foreign Office in Berlin warned that "further rocket attacks on Israel could occur" after the Israeli military operation.
There is danger within 80 kilometers of Gaza.
"This can also affect the greater Tel Aviv and Jerusalem area."
bbr/dpa/Reuters/AFP
