In a first since January, Israel on Tuesday carried out airstrikes on the Gaza strip. The move came as a response to a rocket fired by the Palestinian enclave.
AFP reports that the strike as per witness accounts and Gaza security sources didn’t cause any casualties. Hamas claims to have staved off the attack using its “anti-aircraft defence” system.
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Following the rocket firing by Islamist group Hamas, sirens were sounded in southern Israel. Reportedly, the projectile crashed into the sea off Tel Aviv.
In a statement the Israeli ministry said that the “rocket was intercepted by the Iron Dome Air Defense System,” and hours later the Israeli air force announced that it has retaliated by targetting a Hamas weapon manufacturing site.
Last year, around the same time, a similar turmoil in Jerusalem had prompted multiple Hamas rocket fire into Israel, which later developed into an 11-day war.
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Tensions between Israel and Palestine have soared in recent days following violence around the Jerusalem holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque that by some tallies left more than 150 Palestinians injured. As per a report by Al Jazeera, citing Palestinian sources this number can actually be as high as 400.
The fire in Gaza and the Al-Aqsa violence comes following a spike in violence in the Jewish state, which included four deadly attacks by Palestinians and Israeli Arabs since late March, killing 14 people, largely civilians. The surge in hostilities coincides with Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, and Passover, the Jewish festival.
According to an AFP tally, 23 Palestinians have been murdered in the unrest since March 22, including assailants who attacked Israelis.
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The US has expressed deep concern about the tensions. According to State Department spokesman Ned Price top US officials have been in contact by phone with colleagues from Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Arab countries.
He stated, “We have urged all sides to preserve the historic status quo” at the Al-Aqsa compound and avoid “provocative” actions.
(With inputs from agencies)
