Israel-Gaza fight enters second day with air strikes, rockets

The biggest escalation of hostilities in the region since a war last year occurred on Saturday when Israel attacked Gaza with airstrikes and a militant Palestinian group reacted with a barrage of rockets.

Following days of tension along the Gaza border, Israel claims it was forced to conduct a "pre-emptive" action against Islamic Jihad because the organization was preparing for an impending attack.

Health officials in Gaza, a Palestinian territory governed by the Islamist organization Hamas, reported 10 deaths from Israel's bombardment, including a five-year-old girl, and 79 injuries. According to Israel's army, their operation has killed 15 militants.

Israel expanded its campaign against Islamic Jihad, a group that is affiliated with Hamas but frequently operates independently, early on Saturday.

Along with the arrest of one additional person, the Israeli army declared the detention of 19 persons in the occupied West Bank who it claimed were members of the group.

Taysir Al-Jabari, a crucial militant leader, was killed in an attack on a building on Friday in the west of Gaza city, according to confirmation from both Israel and Islamic Jihad.

Before launching a barrage of rockets into Israel, Islamic Jihad declared that the initial Israeli bombing amounted to a "declaration of war."

Early on Saturday, rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes persisted, raising the possibility of a recurrence of the 11-day conflict in May 2021, which destroyed Gaza and compelled numerous Israelis to flee to bomb shelters.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid stated in a nationally televised speech on Friday that his country "is not interested in a bigger conflict in Gaza, but would not shy away from one either."

Early on Saturday, air raid sirens sounded throughout southern Israel, but no immediate reports of injuries or significant property damage were made, and the Iron Dome aerial defense system successfully intercepted a large number of rockets.

Authorities in border regions warned residents to stay near shelters, which have also been set up in Tel Aviv, the commercial center of Israel.

Egyptian authorities told AFP in Gaza that Egypt, a long-time mediator between Israel and armed groups in Gaza, was trying to mediate and might receive an Islamic Jihad delegation later on Saturday.

Since assuming control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has engaged in four battles with Israel, including the most recent one in May. The majority of the West views Islamic Jihad and Hamas as terrorist groups.

In 2019, Islamic Jihad flared up again after Israel killed Jabari's predecessor, Baha Abu Al-Ata. For several days, the two sides traded blows with no participation from Hamas.

Abdullah Al-Arayshi, a resident of Gaza City, described the scene as "extremely stressful."

The nation is in ruins. War is enough for us. The future of our age is lost, he said AFP.

Early on Saturday, the streets of Gaza City were completely deserted, many stores were closed, and daily activity was largely halted, according to an AFP reporter.

Targets hit in Gaza have released fireballs and smoke plumes, but there haven't been any new casualty reports in recent hours. The health ministry announced on Friday that one of those killed was "a five-year-old girl, targeted by the Israeli occupation."

Alaa Kaddum, age 5, had a wound on her forehead and a pink bow in her hair as her body was carried by her father at her funeral. Given that the group is under pressure from some to maintain peace in order to improve the economic conditions in the region, Hamas' actions during the present unrest may be key in determining its intensity.

For the funerals of Jabari and the other victims of the airstrikes, hundreds of mourners gathered in Gaza City.

In reference to Palestinian militants, Israeli military spokesman Richard Hecht stated, "We are presuming roughly 15 dead in action" in Gaza.

Israeli military officials said on Thursday that they were bolstering their troops as tanks were queued up around the border.

The attacks came four days after Israel, citing security concerns, shut down its two border crossings with Gaza and limited the mobility of Israeli citizens residing close to the border.

The actions came after two top Islamic Jihad militants, including Bassem Al-Saadi, who Israel claims of planning recent assaults, were detained in the occupied West Bank.

Israel has responded to deadly attacks on its civilians by conducting a nearly constant stream of raids within the West Bank since mid-March. Although Islamic Jihad did not fire rockets in retaliation for Saadi's detention, Israel has continued to assert this throughout the week.

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