Israel Bombs Gaza Following Palestinian Rocket Attacks
Facts
- Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza early Friday morning in response to rockets fired from the territory earlier that night as tensions continue to mount following one of the deadliest raids in the West Bank in years.
- At least six rockets were fired overnight from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip towards southern Israel, four of which were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome defense system, with the leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad claiming responsibility for the attack during a rally in Gaza City.
- Later, Gazan militants fired a second set of rocket attacks that Israel responded to by targeting "one of the most significant" Hamas military bases in the northern Gaza Strip. No casualties on either side were reported.
- The overnight exchange comes after nine Palestinians, reportedly two of which were civilians, were killed on Thursday as Israeli forces raided the West Bank city of Jenin. A 10th Palestinian was shot dead later that day as he confronted Israeli troops near Jerusalem while protesting against the raid.
- In a sign of further escalation, at least seven people were reportedly killed and three wounded by a Palestinian gunman on Friday evening in an attack at a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem. While nobody has yet claimed responsibility, Hamas said the attack was related to the Jenin raid.
- Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to arrive in Israel on Monday to meet with Israeli and Palestinian leaders to reiterate Washington's support of a two-state solution.
Sources: Reuters, Guardian, Times of Israel, BBC News, and Haaretz.
Narratives
- Pro-Israel, as provided by JPost. These airstrikes show that Israel's defense establishment is prepared to take any action needed to ensure peace for its citizens. Though such a response to Thursday's Jenin raid was already anticipated, connecting events between Gaza and the West Bank is a dangerous precedent that threatens the very existence of the State of Israel.
- Pro-Palestine, as provided by Middle East Eye. Israeli occupation forces carried out a planned massacre against the Palestinian people this Thursday, cutting off electricity and barring medical workers from evacuating the wounded from the refugee camp, and now have attacked Gaza. Emboldened by international silence after killing more Palestinians last year than in any other calendar year since the Second Intifada, it is Israel that's becoming even more violent.