World

At least 67 killed as Israel keeps pummeling Gaza

Gaza's health ministry says 17 of the people killed in the enclave were children and six were women

Reuters May 13, 2021

Smoke and flames rise from a tower building as it is destroyed by Israeli air strikes amid a flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian violence, in Gaza City. PHOTO: REUTERS

GAZA/JERUSALEM:

Hamas launched retaliatory rockets at Tel Aviv and toward Jerusalem early on Thursday and Israel vowed to keep pummelling the faction in Gaza despite a prediction by US President Joe Biden that their fiercest hostilities in years might end soon.

There was no immediate word of casualties from the pre-dawn salvo, which set off sirens as far as northern Nahalal, 100 km (62 miles) from Gaza, sending thousands of Israelis to shelters.

At least 67 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday, according to the enclave's health ministry. Seven people have been killed in Israel, medical officials said.

With world powers demanding de-escalation of a conflict beginning to recall the Gaza war of 2014, Washington planned to send an envoy, Hady Amr, for talks with Israel and Palestinians.

"My expectation and hope is this will be closing down sooner than later, but Israel has a right to defend itself," Biden said on Wednesday after speaking to Netanyahu.

Israeli soldiers work by their mobile artillery unit near the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. PHOTO: REUTERS

Biden did not explain the reasons behind his optimism. Netanyahu's office said he told the US president that Israel would "continue acting to strike at the military capabilities of Hamas and the other groups active in the Gaza Strip".

On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a senior Hamas commander and bombed several buildings, including high-rises and a bank, which Israel said was linked to the faction's activities.

Hamas signalled defiance, with its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, saying: "The confrontation with the enemy is open-ended."

For Israel, the targeting of the two major cities posed a new challenge in the confrontation with Hamas.

A Palestinian source said truce efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations had made no progress to end the violence.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken phoned Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and said Washington "was exerting efforts with all relevant parties to reach calm," the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said. Abbas is a Hamas rival whose authority is limited to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

The fighting has touched off strife within Israel, where some in the Arab minority mounted violent pro-Palestinian protests. The media reported spreading street attacks by Jews on Arab passersbys in ethnically mixed areas on Wednesday.

In Gaza, two multi-storey residential buildings and a tower housing media outlets, including one linked to Hamas, collapsed and another structure was heavily damaged.

"Israel has gone crazy," said a man on a Gaza street, where people ran out of their homes as explosions rocked buildings.

Streaks of light are seen as Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as seen from Ashkelon, Israel. PHOTO: REUTERS

Many in Israel also holed up in shelters as waves of rockets hit its heartland, some blown out of the sky by Iron Dome interceptors.

The fatalities in Israel include a soldier killed while patrolling the Gaza border and five to six civilians, including two children and an Indian worker, medical authorities said.

US energy corporation Chevron said it had shut down the Tamar natural gas platform off the Israeli coast as a precaution. Israel said its energy needs would continue to be met.

At least two US airlines cancelled flights from the United States to Tel Aviv on Wednesday and Thursday.

Israel, whose Ben Gurion Airport briefly suspended operations on Monday after a rocket barrage on Tel Aviv, said national airline El Al stood ready to provide supplemental flights.

Thursday's barrage on Tel Aviv prompted Israel to reroute an El Al flight from Brussels away from Ben Gurion, its intended destination, to Ramon Airport in the south. It appeared to be the first time Israel had used Ramon as a wartime alternative to Ben Gurion. A flight was previously diverted there due to bad weather, according to aviation tracker Avi Scharf.

The conflict has led to the freezing of talks by Netanyahu's opponents on forming a governing coalition to unseat him after Israel's inconclusive March 23 election.

Gaza's health ministry said 17 of the people killed in the enclave were children and six were women. The Israeli military claimed on Thursday that some 350 of 1,500 rockets fired by Gaza factions had fallen short, potentially causing some Palestinian civilian casualties.

Although the latest problems in Jerusalem were the immediate trigger for hostilities, Palestinians have been frustrated as their aspirations for an independent state have suffered setbacks in recent years.

These include Washington’s recognition of disputed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, a US plan to end the conflict that they saw as favourable to Israel, and continued settlement building.

COMMENTS (4)

Kolsat | 3 years ago | Reply I believe that Hamas and other militants living in Gaza should forget about defeating Israel and devote their time and energy to improving the quality of life of their people. Their this rocket-adventure has cost dozens of lives and the number of deaths will rise further unless sanity prevails. President Abbas is unable to control the militants therefore Islamic nations should ask the militants and Israel to stop firing rockets. I sincerely hope this happens soon.

samir sardana | 3 years ago | Reply The HAMAS timing is perfect. There is NO REAL political authority in ISRAEL and Benjy is on his way out The Allies of Benjy are all ULTRA RIGHT ORTHODOX JEWS - who will provoke Benjy Benjy and his wife are ALMOST in Jail If the ULTRA RIGHT ORTHODOX JEWS cannot PUSH Benjy to annex West Bank and start an Exodus of Arabs from Jerusalem - in 2021 COVID - then they will never get another opportunity which will doom Benjy and the ULTRA RIGHT ORTHODOX JEWS - forever HAMAS has forced Benjy to crackdown on Arabs lynch Arabs and evict Arabs - as a retaliation and show of control and strength - thereby providing more popular support to HAMAS INSIDE ISRAEL - with the Arabs No SANE US President or the UN will support a IDF invasion or blockade of Gaza or annexation - in 2021 COVID by a leader who is on his way to jail and is a caretaker PM Benjy needs a DISTRACTION and a VICTORY and an EMERGENCY which is the current strife IRAN is possibly to resume N Negotiations with the US - thereby giving the US and Iran multiple levers to play with Benjy knows that IRAN is behind HAMAS Using the Temple of Solomon was the TRUMP Card - as it provoked the Israeli Police - and nurturing this fire can create mass unrest across Muslims nations Unrest across Muslim nations will allow Iran to fish and scuba rocket dive in troubled waters If Hamas keeps on firing rockets that is a victory irrespective of how many are killed in Gaza.The rocket saturation and decoy model is meant to ensure that 10-20 penetrate the ADS Iron Dome - so the success of the IRON DOME fits in with the PLAN OF HAMAS.It also games the ADS for the NEXGEN ROCKETS which will come depending on the US- IRAN N Dialogue and events in the Temple To Stop Hamas - IDF will have to ENTER GAZA as the blockade is of no use - since Hamas is stocked up With the blockade there will be a lack of food water medical aid in Gaza and the Media will be there to report it ALL THE ABOVE WILL ENSURE MORE VC FUNDING FOR HAMAS The Temple of Solomon is DUE to be rebuilt as per Prophecy .TO REBUILD - YOU 1ST NEED TO DESTROY dindooohindoo There are 3-500 rockets in the air over Jerusalem EVERY DAY and there is a stockpile of explosives inside the Temple Anything can happen - and it is all PURE CHANCE OR PROVIDENCE And the Red Moon has passed If Something happens or is inevitable - THEN the TURKS will move in for sure - and then History repeats again

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Solomon2 | 3 years ago | Reply Seven Israelis have already paid the ultimate price as tensions continue to brew. Leah Yom Tov 63 Khalil Awad 52 and his daughter Nadin 16 Soumya Santosh 30 Nella Gurevitz in her 80s and Omer Tabib 21 had their lives taken...Santosh was from the Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala... Gurevitz was the second person killed by a rocket that directly hit Ashkelon. She was in her apartment... Yom Tov was killed on Tuesday night after a rocket landed directly on her home... Awad and his daughter Nadin were Arab-Israeli residents of a town near Lod who were killed after a rocket scored a direct hit on a car... Tabib was an IDF soldier from the Elyakim moshav. He was killed by an anti-tank missile near the Gaza Strip... Abigail was a five-year-old boy whose family are residents of Sderot. He was critically injured after a rocket from Gaza penetrated the safe room of the family s apartment. https www.jpost.com israel-news these-are-the-victims-of-the-hamas-rocket-attacks-667968

Rabbit | 3 years ago | Reply this is the time to show unity and solidarity due to ongoing virus crissi not more bombings and killings. Both the countries are rich with money thrown at them . it should be better used for their own betterment .

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