Israel carried out its largest airstrike campaign in Gaza since 2014 on Saturday. This was met with unyielding rocket fire from the Hamas militants throughout the day. Israel and Hamas militants engaged in intense combat. This might lead to the triggering of an all-out war between the two. There has already been growing tension along the volatile border.
Two Palestinian teenagers were killed in an airstrike in Gaza City. On the other side, three Israelis were wounded from a rocket strike that landed on a residential home.
Israel said that it had warned Gaza citizens to keep their distance from certain sites. They also said that they were focussing on hitting militant targets. But the usual low-level simmering conflict was replaced with the fired up air and rocket strikes when Israel and Hamas militants engaged in intense combat. This was difficult to cope with for civilians. They could have easily been caught in the crossfire.
Late Saturday the Hamas announced that they would agree to the Egypt-brokered cease-fire. But the siren warnings of incoming rockets still continued in southern Israel early Sunday. It was unclear if the cease-fire was holding up.
Later, witnesses reported that Israeli warplanes dropped four bombs on an unfinished building near a Hamas police and security compound in Gaza City. The four-story building is adjacent to a public park. Gaza’s Health Ministry said two teenagers were killed in the strike and ten others injured.
On Friday, thousands of Palestinians gathered near the Gaza border for their near-weekly protest. A 15-year-old Palestinian who tried to climb over the fence into Israel was shot dead. Later the military said an Israeli officer was moderately wounded by a grenade thrown at him.
Over 130, mostly unarmed, Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire since protests began on March 30 and Israel and Hamas militants engaged in intense combat over such issues.
In a rare confession, the Hamas that it fired rockets to deter Israel from further action.
