In the most serious escalation of violence in the region since last year’s war, Israel continued Air strikes on GazaOn Saturday, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad responded by firing a barrage of rockets.
An assessment of the military operation
Today, Saturday, The Times of Israel reported that Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz conducted an assessment of the military operation in the Gaza Strip.
“The prime minister and defense minister discussed the progress of the operation and its continuation as planned,” the newspaper quoted a statement from Lapid’s office as saying.
She explained that the two parties will hold another meeting later in the day at the headquarters of the Israeli army in Tel Aviv.
In addition, the correspondent of “Al-Arabiya” and “Al-Hadath” reported that 3 Israelis were injured when rockets fell inside a settlement on the borders of the Gaza Strip.
Death toll rises to 12
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health announced that the death toll from the Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip rose to 12, including a five-year-old girl, while 84 people were wounded.
However, the Israeli army pointed out that the operation resulted in the killing of 15 Palestinian militants.
Israel had announced that it had launched a “preemptive” operation once morest the Islamic Jihad, stressing that the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tension at the Gaza border.
It announced the arrest of 19 people it said were jihadists in the occupied West Bank, in addition to the arrest of another person.
The killing of a prominent leader
Meanwhile, both Israel and Islamic Jihad confirmed the killing of a prominent leader in the movement, Taysir al-Jabari, in a strike targeting a building west of Gaza City, on Friday.
The Jihad movement considered that the Israeli bombing was a “declaration of war” before it launched a barrage of missiles towards Israel.
The possibility of a repeat of the 2021 war
The rocket fire on one side and the Israeli shelling on the other continued Saturday morning, raising fears of a repeat of the May 2021 war, which lasted 11 days, and led to the destruction of Gaza while forcing many Israelis to hide in bomb shelters.
escalation and mediation
In turn, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced in a televised speech, Friday, that “Israel does not seek a broader conflict in Gaza, but it will not be afraid of that happening.”
While the sirens sounded throughout southern Israel, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or any major damage, noting that the Israeli Iron Dome defense system intercepted many of the missiles.
Officials in the border areas urged residents to stay near the bomb shelters that have also opened in Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial capital.
Egyptian mediation
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials told AFP in Gaza that Egypt, which is a historical mediator between Israel and the factions in Gaza, is seeking to play a mediating role this time as well, and may receive a delegation from the Islamic Jihad movement later on Saturday.
