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The confrontation involving Arabs and Israeli police in East Jerusalem in recent days generated this Monday (10) a new wave of attacks by the terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, from the Gaza Strip, against the central and southern region of Israel, which in turn provoked a response from the Israeli defense forces.
The number of wounded and dead remains unclear. According to Hamas, 20 Palestinians, including nine minors, were killed. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had struck “several terrorist targets of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip in the past few hours,” hitting two rocket launchers, two military positions and eight terrorist operatives.
According to Israeli media, the IDF has said that three Palestinian children were not killed during the Israeli attack on Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip, but rather during a rocket launch into Israel that went wrong. An Israeli civilian was slightly injured on the Gaza border after a rocket fired from Gaza hit a car.
The attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad against Israel began at 6 p.m. (12 p.m. ET). At least seven rockets were launched, which landed in open fields on the outskirts of Jerusalem – with the exception of one that was intercepted by Israel's defense system. Other attacks by Hamas and Islamic Jihad were launched against Israeli communities living on the border with the Gaza Strip.
Jerusalem police temporarily evacuated people from the Old City. The Knesset plenary was also evacuated late in the afternoon after warning sirens sounded across the city. Israel Defense Forces sent more troops to the Gaza border and also closed roads and buildings and halted train service in the area. Air traffic was diverted away from the Gaza Strip. Classes in some southern Israeli cities were suspended.
The city of Ashkelon, located in the northern Gaza Strip, has decided to open its bomb shelters. “Although we have not received an official request to do so, we have decided to act on this issue out of an abundance of caution,” Ashkelon Mayor Tomer Glam said.
In response, the Israeli Air Force conducted airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.
