KEY POINTS
At least six children among 33 Palestinians killed
Rockets reach Jerusalem for first time
One person in Israel killed
“Israel steps up its bombing campaign in the besieged Gaza Strip
KEY POINTS
- At least six children among 33 Palestinians killed
- Rockets reach Jerusalem for first time
- One person in Israel killed
Live Updates
Israeli woman killed in rocket strike identified
5 minutes ago
The Israeli individual killed by rocket fire in the central Israeli city of Rehovot on Thursday has been identified as Inga Avramyan, a woman in her 80s.
The strike wounded eight more people, including her husband.
Senior Islamic Jihad leader killed, group confirms
1 hour ago
Iyad al-Hassani, a senior member of the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday, the armed group has confirmed.
Hassani’s death brings the total number of senior Islamic Jihad leaders killed in Israel’s latest offensive to six.
“Saraya al-Quds mourns its great commander martyr, Iyad al-Abd al-Husseini, known as Abu Anas, a member of the military council and the operations unit leader in Saraya al-Quds, who was killed in a cowardly Zionist assassination operation this evening in Gaza,” the group said in a communique.
Saturday’s anti-judicial overhaul protests in Israel cancelled
1 hour ago
The organisers behind the weekly protests against Israel’s judicial overhaul plans say that Saturday’s demonstrations have been cancelled as Israel’s offensive on Gaza continues to escalate, with armed groups in the besieged Strip responding with rocket fire.
It is the first cancellation of the demonstrations since they began nearly 20 weeks ago.
“Our foremost concern is the safety of our people who are defending democracy,” the organisers said, as quoted by The Times of Israel.
“Out of responsibility for the safety [of demonstrators], we have decided to put off the demonstration.”
Video: Palestinians in Deir el-Balah assess damage from Israeli air strikes
Life in Gaza under Israeli bombing
2 hours ago
For the last three days, Noura Waheidi has kept her three children close.
With Israeli warplanes soaring above the besieged Gaza Strip every night and launching devastating air strikes on densely populated sites it claims are affiliated with Palestinian resistance factions, she, like every other Palestinian, has been on edge.
At least 31 Palestinians have been killed – including five children – since Israel began targeting so-called military sites in the enclave.
As fear grows with each attack, residents have developed habits or practices to reduce physical and psychological harm.
Aware that they or their neighbours could be targeted at any moment, Palestinians usually keep their precious belongings and official documents in one place, so that they can grab them quickly in the event of an evacuation.
Others chose to keep their documents and valuables in other safe places when they feel their neighbourhoods are under threat.
“We put everything in one bag that I call the emergency bag. We keep all our official papers and belongings in it, including our IDs, birth certificates, contracts, gold, and money,” Waheidi told Middle East Eye.
“We expect to evacuate our home at any moment, there is no place safe in Gaza.”
Read more: Emergency bags, dark rooms and war groceries: Life in Gaza under Israeli bombing
Israeli minister: ‘No choice’ but to retake Gaza
2 hours ago
Far right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday that Israel will eventually have to reconquer the Gaza Strip as 15 military operations in two decades there failed to defeat Palestinian resistance groups.
Smotrich called Israel’s constant fighting with Palestinian groups a “chronic problem” that must be dealt with once and for all.
“The time will probably come to return to Gaza, disassemble Hamas and demilitarise Gaza. This too will be carried out according to the broad interests and considerations of the State of Israel,” Smotrich said in an interview with Channel 14. “I believe the moment will come when there won’t be a choice but to reconquer Gaza.”
However, he added that it was not something being considered at the moment by the security cabinet.
His comments were echoed by National Missions Minister Orit Strock of the same Religious Zionism party.
“Israel fled twice from Gaza — the first time during Oslo, the second in the [2005] disengagement. This can’t be an acceptable security situation in Gaza,” Strock said in an interview with Kan news
“Looking long-term, there won’t be a choice but to do it [retake Gaza],” she added.
Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and settlements from Gaza in 2005 but maintained an air, sea and land blockade since.
‘The floor was shaking’: Horror and chaos after deadly raid
3 hours ago
An eyewitness to the deadly air strike on a residential building in central Gaza on Friday afternoon described a scene of horror and chaos as Israeli jets began their attack.
“I was at home playing with my children,” said Khaled al-Hindi. “There was no warning or signs of any incoming strikes.”
Then, out of nowhere, Hindi told Middle East Eye, the impact of the bomb was felt.
“The floor was shaking and the children started to run out. My mother, an elderly lady, fell over and was injured. She was taken to hospital for treatment,” he said.
The strike hit a flat in a seven-storey building where around 20 families lived, most of whom were children.
At least two people were killed, including a senior Islamic Jihad commander.
“I saw them pull out a body from a building. I’m just glad we are safe,” Hindi said.
In pictures: Israel pummels Gaza for fourth day
4 hours ago
Israel has renewed its targeting of residential areas in Gaza for the fourth day, leaving hundreds of people homeless and living in fear of the next attack.
A widespread sense of panic has gripped Palestinians, as they have been left with nowhere to go.
Many are searching for loved ones and belongings among the rubble of their homes.
Here, we look at the aftermath of the shelling.
Analysis: Rocket fire at Jerusalem sends a strong message to Netanyahu
4 hours ago
As Israeli hopes for a ceasefire seemed high on Friday morning, Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza at settlements in occupied East Jerusalem came as a major shock.
According to Mukhaimar Abu Sa’da, a political analyst and professor at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, the salvo carried a strong message.
“Launching rockets towards Jerusalem is a way to pressure the Israeli occupation to agree on the Islamic Jihad’s terms for the ceasefire, including to stop the killing of civilians,” Abu Sa’da told Middle East Eye.
For Israelis, targeting Jerusalem is seen as a “red line”, even more so than hitting Tel Aviv, Abu Sa’da said.
“The message is that the [Islamic Jihad] are ready to launch more long-range rockets if [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu doesn’t agree to end the policy of assassinations,” he added.
Palestinian groups have maintained that the fighting will continue until Israel commits to stop the targeted killing of military leaders and civilians.
‘They are chasing us everywhere’
5 hours ago
As Israel resumed its heavy bombardment of Gaza on Friday afternoon, more homes were destroyed and more people were made homeless.
“My house was bombed… many of the homes have eight or so people in them,” Abdelkader Taha, whose house in Khan Younis was levelled, told Middle East Eye.
“The building had two apartments upstairs and two on the ground floor. This is the third time we have been displaced because of Israeli shelling,” he added.
At least 28 housing units have been destroyed since the start of the Israeli offensive on Tuesday.
Taha’s family home was damaged in the Israeli offensive in Gaza in 2014, forcing them to rebuild their lives from scratch.
“They are chasing us everywhere,” he said, while waiting in the streets for the bombardment to stop.
Reports: Two Palestinians killed in latest raid, death toll reaches 33
5 hours ago
At least two Palestinians were killed on Friday afternoon after Israel renewed heavy shelling across Gaza, mainly targeting residential buildings.
According to local media, a seven-storey building in the crowded Nasr district in central Gaza was hit, leaving at least 10 casualties.
Medics said two were pronounced dead at the scene.
Israel resumes heavy shelling on Gaza residential buildings
5 hours ago
The Israeli military resumed heavy shelling across Gaza, targeting several residential buildings.
Middle East Eye correspondents said several explosions were heard across the besieged enclave, with at least one four-storey building being hit. The residential buildings housed three families.
Live Updates
Israeli woman killed in rocket strike identified
5 minutes ago
The Israeli individual killed by rocket fire in the central Israeli city of Rehovot on Thursday has been identified as Inga Avramyan, a woman in her 80s.
The strike wounded eight more people, including her husband.
Senior Islamic Jihad leader killed, group confirms
1 hour ago
Iyad al-Hassani, a senior member of the Gaza-based Palestinian Islamic Jihad, was killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday, the armed group has confirmed.
Hassani’s death brings the total number of senior Islamic Jihad leaders killed in Israel’s latest offensive to six.
“Saraya al-Quds mourns its great commander martyr, Iyad al-Abd al-Husseini, known as Abu Anas, a member of the military council and the operations unit leader in Saraya al-Quds, who was killed in a cowardly Zionist assassination operation this evening in Gaza,” the group said in a communique.
Saturday’s anti-judicial overhaul protests in Israel cancelled
1 hour ago
The organisers behind the weekly protests against Israel’s judicial overhaul plans say that Saturday’s demonstrations have been cancelled as Israel’s offensive on Gaza continues to escalate, with armed groups in the besieged Strip responding with rocket fire.
It is the first cancellation of the demonstrations since they began nearly 20 weeks ago.
“Our foremost concern is the safety of our people who are defending democracy,” the organisers said, as quoted by The Times of Israel.
“Out of responsibility for the safety [of demonstrators], we have decided to put off the demonstration.”
Video: Palestinians in Deir el-Balah assess damage from Israeli air strikes
1 hour ago
Life in Gaza under Israeli bombing
2 hours ago
For the last three days, Noura Waheidi has kept her three children close.
With Israeli warplanes soaring above the besieged Gaza Strip every night and launching devastating air strikes on densely populated sites it claims are affiliated with Palestinian resistance factions, she, like every other Palestinian, has been on edge.
At least 31 Palestinians have been killed – including five children – since Israel began targeting so-called military sites in the enclave.
As fear grows with each attack, residents have developed habits or practices to reduce physical and psychological harm.
Aware that they or their neighbours could be targeted at any moment, Palestinians usually keep their precious belongings and official documents in one place, so that they can grab them quickly in the event of an evacuation.
Others chose to keep their documents and valuables in other safe places when they feel their neighbourhoods are under threat.
“We put everything in one bag that I call the emergency bag. We keep all our official papers and belongings in it, including our IDs, birth certificates, contracts, gold, and money,” Waheidi told Middle East Eye.
“We expect to evacuate our home at any moment, there is no place safe in Gaza.”
Read more: Emergency bags, dark rooms and war groceries: Life in Gaza under Israeli bombing
Israeli minister: ‘No choice’ but to retake Gaza
2 hours ago
Far right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday that Israel will eventually have to reconquer the Gaza Strip as 15 military operations in two decades there failed to defeat Palestinian resistance groups.
Smotrich called Israel’s constant fighting with Palestinian groups a “chronic problem” that must be dealt with once and for all.
“The time will probably come to return to Gaza, disassemble Hamas and demilitarise Gaza. This too will be carried out according to the broad interests and considerations of the State of Israel,” Smotrich said in an interview with Channel 14. “I believe the moment will come when there won’t be a choice but to reconquer Gaza.”
However, he added that it was not something being considered at the moment by the security cabinet.
His comments were echoed by National Missions Minister Orit Strock of the same Religious Zionism party.
“Israel fled twice from Gaza — the first time during Oslo, the second in the [2005] disengagement. This can’t be an acceptable security situation in Gaza,” Strock said in an interview with Kan news
“Looking long-term, there won’t be a choice but to do it [retake Gaza],” she added.
Israel unilaterally withdrew troops and settlements from Gaza in 2005 but maintained an air, sea and land blockade since.
‘The floor was shaking’: Horror and chaos after deadly raid
3 hours ago
An eyewitness to the deadly air strike on a residential building in central Gaza on Friday afternoon described a scene of horror and chaos as Israeli jets began their attack.
“I was at home playing with my children,” said Khaled al-Hindi. “There was no warning or signs of any incoming strikes.”
Then, out of nowhere, Hindi told Middle East Eye, the impact of the bomb was felt.
“The floor was shaking and the children started to run out. My mother, an elderly lady, fell over and was injured. She was taken to hospital for treatment,” he said.
The strike hit a flat in a seven-storey building where around 20 families lived, most of whom were children.
At least two people were killed, including a senior Islamic Jihad commander.
“I saw them pull out a body from a building. I’m just glad we are safe,” Hindi said.
In pictures: Israel pummels Gaza for fourth day
4 hours ago
Israel has renewed its targeting of residential areas in Gaza for the fourth day, leaving hundreds of people homeless and living in fear of the next attack.
A widespread sense of panic has gripped Palestinians, as they have been left with nowhere to go.
Many are searching for loved ones and belongings among the rubble of their homes.
Here, we look at the aftermath of the shelling.
Analysis: Rocket fire at Jerusalem sends a strong message to Netanyahu
4 hours ago
As Israeli hopes for a ceasefire seemed high on Friday morning, Palestinian rockets fired from Gaza at settlements in occupied East Jerusalem came as a major shock.
According to Mukhaimar Abu Sa’da, a political analyst and professor at Gaza’s Al-Azhar University, the salvo carried a strong message.
“Launching rockets towards Jerusalem is a way to pressure the Israeli occupation to agree on the Islamic Jihad’s terms for the ceasefire, including to stop the killing of civilians,” Abu Sa’da told Middle East Eye.
For Israelis, targeting Jerusalem is seen as a “red line”, even more so than hitting Tel Aviv, Abu Sa’da said.
“The message is that the [Islamic Jihad] are ready to launch more long-range rockets if [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu doesn’t agree to end the policy of assassinations,” he added.
Palestinian groups have maintained that the fighting will continue until Israel commits to stop the targeted killing of military leaders and civilians.
‘They are chasing us everywhere’
5 hours ago
As Israel resumed its heavy bombardment of Gaza on Friday afternoon, more homes were destroyed and more people were made homeless.
“My house was bombed… many of the homes have eight or so people in them,” Abdelkader Taha, whose house in Khan Younis was levelled, told Middle East Eye.
“The building had two apartments upstairs and two on the ground floor. This is the third time we have been displaced because of Israeli shelling,” he added.
At least 28 housing units have been destroyed since the start of the Israeli offensive on Tuesday.
Taha’s family home was damaged in the Israeli offensive in Gaza in 2014, forcing them to rebuild their lives from scratch.
“They are chasing us everywhere,” he said, while waiting in the streets for the bombardment to stop.
Reports: Two Palestinians killed in latest raid, death toll reaches 33
5 hours ago
At least two Palestinians were killed on Friday afternoon after Israel renewed heavy shelling across Gaza, mainly targeting residential buildings.
According to local media, a seven-storey building in the crowded Nasr district in central Gaza was hit, leaving at least 10 casualties.
Medics said two were pronounced dead at the scene.
Israel resumes heavy shelling on Gaza residential buildings
5 hours ago
The Israeli military resumed heavy shelling across Gaza, targeting several residential buildings.
Middle East Eye correspondents said several explosions were heard across the besieged enclave, with at least one four-storey building being hit. The residential buildings housed three families.
Al Jazeera Arabic reported that at least one home was completely destroyed in Khan Younis.
Local media posted footage showing a residential building near Gaza City in flames after an Israeli air strike.
Initial reports say the shelling has left a number of casualties.
The Israeli military said it was targeting Palestinian Islamic Jihad sites, including what it claimed are command centres situated in residential buildings.
Gaza braces for ‘critical power outages within 72 hours’
6 hours ago
The Gaza Electricity Authority has warned the besieged strip could face critical power outages within 72 hours due to a lack of diesel fuel for the sole power plant in the enclave.
Since 9 May, Israel has completely closed the crossings connecting it to Gaza, halting the entry of essential products into the enclave, including fuel and gas.
Any disruption to Gaza’s fuel supply will compound the dire situation created by the ongoing Israeli bombardment in the strip for four days.
Due to the 16-year-long Israel-led blockage of Gaza, the enclave already suffers from a “chronic electricity deficit” which has resulted in increasing fragile living conditions for the population, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The regular power outages in Gaza have already “severely affected the availability of essential services, particularly health, water and sanitation services, and undermined Gaza’s fragile economy, particularly the manufacturing and agriculture sectors,” OCHA has previously said.
Islamic Jihad spokesperson to MEE: Rockets at Jerusalem ‘a message’ to Israel
6 hours ago
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s spokesperson, Dawud Shihab, told Middle East Eye that Israel is refusing to commit to a ceasefire to end its four-day offensive.
Speaking to Middle East Eye correspondent in Gaza Ahmed Al-Sammak, Shihab said the rockets launched earlier on Friday at settlements in occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem were to send a message to Israel.
“The launching of rockets close to Jerusalem is a message that resistance groups are watching what is happening, particularly ahead of the Flag March which will take place soon,” he told MEE.
He added that Palestinian groups don’t have “huge demands” for a ceasefire agreement.
“All we ask for is that Israel complies and ceases the killing and targeting of people,” he said.
While talks of a ceasefire have been circulating since the fighting started four days ago, Shihab says that what is happening on the ground tells a different story.
“On the ground, there is an ongoing battle which has not yet stopped,” he said. “We are getting closer to achieving our goals, and stopping Israel from achieving what it wants.”
Survivors of Israeli air strike describe wide-scale destruction
7 hours ago
As the Israeli offensive in Gaza enters its fourth day, Palestinian survivors of air strikes are reeling from the continuous bombardment.
“We heard warnings from Israel to vacate and then the shelling started,” Inshirah Matar, an elderly lady from Gaza, told Middle East Eye.
“The shelling started at sunset, we were just sitting at home and we had phone calls telling us to run for safety. We didn’t take any of our things, we had to leave everything behind,” she added.
According to residents who spoke to MEE, the shelling targeted family homes, many of which housed young children.
“The area is overpopulated, we all live close together and the homes are filled with elderly people and young children,” she said.
According to the eyewitness, residents were forced to wait out in the streets from around 4pm to 8.30pm, as they watched their homes destroyed.
“We watched windows smash, and many of us were afraid. I fell and needed to be taken to hospital, while the children were screaming and wetting themselves at night from fear.”
As of Thursday, 19 housing units were destroyed, 28 became uninhabitable and 286 were damaged, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Government Media Office.
Palestinian commander: We decide when and where to respond
9 hours ago
A commander in the Palestinian Joint Command, an umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, said the body chooses when and where to respond to the Israeli aggression after a barrage of rockets was fired at settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
Speaking to Al Jazeera Arabic, the commander, who was not named, said the command “thwarted” the Israeli strategy of trying to isolate the Islamic Jihad in its attacks.
“We are managing the battle well and have thwarted the enemy’s plan by isolating the Islamic Jihad’s Al-Quds Brigades. We determine the time and place of our response as we see fit,” the commander said.
Israel halts ceasefire talks with Egypt: Reports
10 hours ago
Israel has left indirect ceasefire talks mediated by Egypt, according to Israeli media reports.
It comes after a barrage of rockets was fired from Gaza towards major settlements in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem.
According to Haaretz and the Times of Israel, officials have said ceasefire talks are no longer taking place and promised a “severe” response.
“And if we need to escalate, we’ll do it,” an Israeli official said, according to the Times of Israel.
Panic in occupied West Bank settlements from incoming rockets
10 hours ago
Videos shared online showed Israeli settlers seeking shelter from rockets, as sirens sounded in settlements in the Jerusalem area and the occupied West Bank settlements on Friday afternoon.
While there have been no reported injuries, photos and videos shared online show Israeli settlers scrambling for safety.
The rockets targeting Jerusalem, one of the biggest barrages by Palestinian groups since the start of the Israeli offensive, ended a 12-hour lull in fighting.
Palestinians fire rockets at Israeli settlements in West Bank, Jerusalem
11 hours ago
Palestinian groups in Gaza fired rockets towards Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem, ending a 12-hour lull in fighting.
Rockets sirens were sounded in Jerusalem and in Gush Etzion, a major block of Israeli settlements near the Palestinian city of Bethlehem.
At least one rocket landed inside the settlement of Bat Ayin, according to initial reports.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Incoming rocket sirens were also heard in southern Israeli cities near the Gaza frontier.
Israel urged to open Gaza crossings for patients needing life-saving treatment
13 hours ago
Human rights organisations have made an emergency appeal to Israel to halt attacks on the civilian population in Gaza and open the Beit Hanoun (Erez) and Karem Abu Salem (Kerem Shalom) crossings to humanitarian assistance.
Beit Hanoun and Karem Abu Salem, which Israel controls, are Gaza’s main lifeline to the outside world.
The appeal by Physicians for Human Rights Israel, Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, Adalah, and Gisha came as Israel’s assault on Gaza entered its fourth day leaving at least 31 Palestinians dead and almost 100 more wounded.
Since 9 May, Israel has completely closed the crossings of the Gaza Strip. Not even the entry of essential products is allowed, including fuel and gas. The exit of people has also been halted, including for urgent and life-saving medical and humanitarian services.
“Israel prevented 292 patients from leaving for treatment outside the Gaza Strip. Most of them are cancer patients and 15 of the patients were required to leave in order to receive life-saving treatment and now their lives are at a standstill in real danger” as a result of Israel’s total blockade, the statement added.
“Attacking civilian targets and denying people and vital supplies from entering and leaving Gaza – including those injured in the assault – are expressly prohibited by international law. These infringements indicate a severe violation of the rules of warfare and may even constitute war crimes,” the statement concluded.
Morning update,
13 hours ago
Good morning MEE readers,
The fourth day of Israel’s offensive in Gaza began with a tense calm as the prospect of a ceasefire grew overnight.
After heavy Israeli bombardment throughout Thursday, Palestinian armed groups launched hundreds of long-range rockets, with dozens of them falling in southern Israel and Tel Aviv suburbs.
At least 30 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli shelling so far, with nearly 100 more wounded. Palestinian rockets killed one Israeli and wounded at least seven others.
After the rockets, the Palestinian Joint Command, an umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, said rockets would continue if Israel did not stop targeting civilian homes.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the offensive would continue for as long as necessary.
Israeli fight jets continued to pummel Gaza overnight but largely left little damage and a few injuries.
The relative quiet overnight has boosted hopes that a ceasefire could be brokered soon. Media reports suggest that Egypt has resumed efforts to mediate a truce between the Israelis and the Palestinians after earlier indirect talks failed to end hostilities.
Follow our live blog coverage today for more updates, and stay up to date with the latest news on our social media channels on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Late night update
23 hours ago
Hello MEE readers,
As the third day of Israeli air strikes on Gaza concluded with the Palestinian death toll reaching 29 people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said its offensive would continue for as long as necessary.
Several leaders of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), the second-largest armed group operating in Gaza, have been killed in the Israeli bombardment. And Gaza’s Joint Operations Room, the umbrella body of armed factions in Gaza that includes PIJ, said that it would continue to respond to the attacks.
Hundreds of rockets have been launched from Gaza into Israel, with at least one Israeli citizen having been killed.
“We will not retreat and the assassinations will only make us stronger. Our revenge continues,” Islamic Jihad said in a communique.
The US State Department commenting on the escalation said the casualties are “tragic and heartbreaking”.
Washington called on both sides “to take prudent steps to ensure the loss of civilian life is prevented and that steps are taken to ensure that violence is reduced”. But in its message, the US referenced the Israeli government and the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, of which neither Hamas nor Palestinian Islamic Jihad fall under.
And despite early reports of a potential ceasefire and international calls to end the fighting, the Egyptian foreign minister said on Thursday that the current prospects for a negotiated peace are wary and circumspect.
“Egypt’s efforts to calm things down and resume the political process have not yet borne fruit,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told reporters.
We’re going to be stopping our live blog coverage for the moment but will return soon. To stay up to date on the news, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
Israel says offensive to continue for ‘as long as necessary’
1 day ago
The Israeli prime minister’s office has issued a statement following a security assessment, saying that Israel will “continue to make Islamic Jihad pay a heavy price for its aggression against Israeli citizens”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant added that the operation would continue for as long as necessary, as reported by Haaretz.
One Palestinian killed in strike hitting northern Gaza
1 day ago
One Palestinian has been killed in the latest Israeli air strike that hit northern Gaza on Thursday night, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
The individual was brought to the Indonesia Hospital in Gaza, where they were pronounced dead.
Children in Khan Younis recall air strikes’ horror
1 day ago
Earlier today, an Israeli air strike hit the area of Khan Younis in Gaza, killing several people.
Middle East Eye spoke to several people who had witnessed the strikes, including two children, who shared the horrors of witnessing their family members under the rubble caused by the explosion.
“I was in my room sleeping with my mama and sister when I heard the sound of the bombing. I was scared. I opened my eyes, started crying and ran to mama,” said Tasneem al-Dahdouh, the niece of Abdallah Nakhala, who lives next to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad commander Ali Ghali who was killed in the strike.
‘I’m still scared of playing with my friends outdoors’
– Tasneem al-Dahdouh
“I cried a lot when I saw my uncle, Abdul Karim [Abdallah’s younger brother], under the rubble. I’m still scared of playing with my friends outdoors,” said Dahdouh, who is nine years old. Abdul Karim was slightly injured in the strike after a wall collapsed on him.
Wissam al-Hindi, a 41-year-old father of four, lives on the 4th floor, directly under the flat that was bombed. Also asleep at the time of the strike, he woke to the sight and sound of stones falling on him and his wife. He quickly went to see his daughter, Maya, in her room.
“Many stones fell on her. She had a lot of bruises. The sight of the rubble was terrifying. I still don’t know how she got out from under the rubble alive,” Hindi said.”She had two stitches in the head. Thanks to Allah our wounds were light.”
Hindi’s six-year-old son, Mahmoud, who was sleeping in his parents’ room, woke to the sound of her sister Maya crying.
“When I saw my sister, Maya, I cried a lot. My elder sister carried me on the street while running to our relatives’ house. The ambulance took baba and Maya,” Mahmoud told MEE.
“I was scared as they went to the hospital. I was deeply sad when I saw Maya’s wounds. I can’t play with her now as she is in pain. I’m still afraid of going to buy chips from a grocery and going back to our house. My toys, school books, and jacket were ruined by the bombing.”
Maya, who was crying from pain, wasn’t able to speak about what happened.
Palestinians launch more heavy rocket barrages at Tel Aviv, south Israel
1 day ago
Palestinian armed groups launched heavy rocket barrages towards Israel for the second time within hours, triggering sirens in central and south Israel.
The Israeli military said on Twitter the Tel Aviv area was being struck with a barrage of rockets, while similar attacks were reported in Sderot, Netivot and Ashkelon.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
At least 800 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel since Wednesday, with only 179 being intercepted, according to the Israeli military. Earlier on Thursday, rockets killed one Israeli, wounded seven others and damaged several buildings across Israel.
Opinion: Israel’s unity over new aggression won’t last
1 day ago
A Middle East Eye contributor said in a new column on Thursday that the brief spell of unity the attack on Gaza has provoked in Israel won’t last for the long term.
“Although there is no proof that Israel’s latest aggression is a direct consequence of its profound internal turmoil, the state’s diminishing power of deterrence can certainly be attributed to the current political climate and domestic crisis. Consequently, the aggression must be considered within this context.
“Should this aggressive strategy prove fruitful from an Israeli standpoint, the primary political beneficiary will be Netanyahu, whose approval ratings are poised to climb.
“But this popularity boost will not hold for the long term, nor will it ensure the longevity of Netanyahu’s government, given the deep-rooted domestic conflicts and ongoing public demonstrations. It will not ultimately extricate Netanyahu from his most pressing challenges. And at the same time, polls have shown that the confidence of Israeli citizens in opposition leader Benny Gantz is growing.”
Read more: Gaza: Israel’s unity over new aggression won’t last”
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Credit & Publication: The Middle East Eye & Staff. Published May 10th 2023. Source Link: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-gaza-live-fighting-escalates?page=2
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