The Israeli army carried out several airstrikes on the Gaza Strip last night. They were in response to a rocket that Palestinian militants fired into Israel from Gaza last night. No injuries were reported in the new outbreak of violence, the umpteenth in recent weeks.
According to the Israeli army, several buildings in the Gaza Strip where rockets were produced were attacked last night. Those production lines would be in the hands of Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist militant movement that controls the Gaza Strip.
News agencies reported several powerful explosions, and the impacts lighted up the night sky. However, there would have been no injuries.
Last night’s Israeli airstrikes were in response to a rocket fired at Israel from Gaza. The Israeli anti-aircraft system was able to take down the missile.
The rocket fired from Gaza has not yet been claimed by any militant movements. However, she was reportedly fired out of dissatisfaction with the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons. The new Israeli government – led by the far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – wants to introduce an even stricter prison regime.
Tensions between Palestinians and Israel have been escalating for several weeks. An Israeli raid late last week on the Palestinian refugee camp of Jenin in the West Bank left 10 Palestinians dead, including 8 militants. The raid was described as an anti-terrorist operation.
A day later, a Palestinian shot dead 7 Israelis outside a synagogue in Jerusalem. The following day, 2 Israelis were seriously injured when a Palestinian boy just 13 years old opened fire on them. And also, last week, rockets flew back and forth from and to the Gaza Strip.
The United States called yesterday to reduce the escalating violence in the region. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited the region this week. He reiterated the American preference for a two-state solution – with an independent Palestinian state. But at the same time, the United States remains Israel’s main ally.