[ad_1]
Series of explosions seen on Gaza skyline
“Dozens” of people from Lebanon stormed past border fences on Friday and briefly entered Israel, as hundreds in Jordan sought to do the same.
Footage broadcast live on social media platforms showed crowds of people making their way to the border waving Palestinian flags.
The Israeli army confirmed the incident, asserting that its tanks had fired warning shots towards a number of “rioters” who had crossed into Israeli territory.
The border crossing unfolded after the death toll in Gaza rose on Friday following a fresh assault from the Israeli army that saw ground forces join the operation.
A total of 55 rockets were fired overnight in a coordinated effort that saw 160 planes from 12 different squadrons, as well as three brigade forces of infantry troops, operate together, Israeli army spokesperson Lt Col Jonathan Conricus said.
He said the assault was aimed at destroying an “underground tunnel system” used by Hamas operatives known as the “metro” in Gaza.
At least 122 Palestinians have been killed in the violence this week, with 31 children among the dead and 900 others injured, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
Meanwhile, Lt Col Conricus said the death toll in Israel had risen to 8 after an elderly woman died overnight while running to a shelter.
The Israeli army spokesperson did not provide any update on whether a ground invasion would take place on Friday. However, he said that “Hamas’s rocket production capacity has been significantly downgraded” following the fresh assault.
Militants have fired some 1,600 rockets towards Israel from Gaza in the last few days, according to the IDF. That is one-third the total fired in the 50-day-long war in 2014, a barrage James Cleverly, the UK’s Middle East minister, called “unprecedented”.
Map: Gaza’s conflict hotspots and a history of violence at the border
With violence having once again erupted in the Middle East between the Israeli army and Hamas the death toll in Gaza has been rising.
Joe Sommerlad breaks down where exactly the conflict is unfolding amid fears that the Israeli army is drawing up proposals for a ground invasion:
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 16:03
Six killed in Israeli army fire, Palestinian health officials say
Palestinian health officials have said that six Palestinians were killed in Israeli army fire in the West Bank on Friday.
They said that at least five people were killed in stone-throwing clashes with Israeli forces in a number of locations.
A sixth person was killed in an attempt to stab an Israeli soldier, the Associated Press has reported.
The violence comes as Israel ramped up its assault with a heavy barrage of airstrikes and tank fire on the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli army said it was seeking to destroy an underground tunnel system used by Hamas operatives.
It is not immediately clear if the six deaths add to or have been counted in the current death toll, with Gaza health officials asserting that at least 122 Palestinians have been killed in the violence this week, including 31 children.
At least 900 others have been injured, Gaza’s health ministry has said.
Additional reporting by AP
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 15:48
A brief history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel was founded in May 1948 in the aftermath of the Holocaust and Second World War, but the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians that has been ongoing since can be traced back much further.
Joe Sommerlad shares a brief history of the Israel-Palestinian conflict:
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 15:00
UNICEF calls for children to ‘be protected’ amid rise in death toll
As the death toll rose in Gaza, with 31 children among the at least 119 Palestinians killed, UNICEF issued fresh calls for children to “be protected” from the violence.
Reporting that 31 children had been killed in Gaza and two in Israel, UNICEF said: “Before this escalation, 1 in 3 children in the Gaza Strip required psychosocial support for conflict-related trauma”.
“That number has undoubtedly risen,” UNICEF said.
“All children must be protected,” the organisation implored.
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 14:45
Israeli flag flown at Prague Castle in show of ‘support and solidarity’
The Israeli flag has reportedly been flying over the seat of the Czech presidency in a show of “support and solidarity” for the country.
On Friday, a spokesperson told The Associated Press that Czech President Milos Zeman has ordered the flag flown over the Prague Castle.
He said the president wanted to raise the flag as “a sign of unequivocal support and solidarity” with Israel amid worsening violence in Gaza.
The Czech Republic has been one of Israel’s most dedicated supporters and allies in the European Union.
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 14:15
‘Dozens’ storm border fence between Lebanon and Israel, waving Palestinian flags
“Dozens” of people from Lebanon stormed the border fences and briefly entered Israel, as hundreds in Jordan attempted the same along the country’s eastern frontier.
Extraordinary footage broadcast live on social media platforms showed crowds, make for the Israel’s northern and eastern borders fences waving Palestinian flags.
The Israeli army said that its tanks fired warning shots towards a number of what called “rioters” who crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
“The suspects sabotaged the fence and set a fire in the area before returning to Lebanese territory.”
Israeli media said there were “dozens” in the crowds.
At the same time Jordanian riot forcibly dispersed hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters trying to do the same along the border which crosses into theIsraeli-occupied West Bank to the south and east.
Witnesses said police fired tear gas and shot into the air to halt about 500 young demonstrators near to Allenby Bridge/ King Hussein crossing into the West bank.
The crowds had broke away from the scheduled route of a march near the borders organised to protest Israeli attacks against Palestinians.
Bel Trew14 May 2021 14:15
Death toll rises to 122 Palestinians killed
The death toll in Gaza has risen, according to health officials.
On Friday afternoon, Gaza’s health ministry said at least 122 Palestinians have been killed in the violence this week, with 31 children among the dead.
Earlier Friday morning, the health ministry had said 119 people had died, with the new figure representing three more deaths.
The health ministry further said that at least 900 people had been injured – 70 more than had been reported earlier on Friday.
Non-profit organisation Medical Aid for Palestinians had warned that more people could be “buried under rubble” of destroyed homes following overnight airstrikes and heavy tank shelling from Israel.
Israeli army spokesperson Lt Col Conricus said earlier in the day that the death toll in Israel had risen to 8 after an elderly woman died overnight while running to a shelter.
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 14:06
Dozens break through border fence from Lebanon to West Bank, Israeli army says
Dozens of people have reportedly broken through a border fence from Lebanon, crossing into the West Bank.
In a statement to The Independent, the Israeli army said that its tanks fired warning shots towards a number of “rioters” who crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.
“The suspects sabotaged the fence and set a fire in the area before returning to Lebanese territory,” a spokesperson said.
Israeli media had reported that dozens of people had breached the border fence between Lebanon and Israel.
It came as Jordanian police were reported to have forcibly dispersed hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters who had marched towards the border.
Video on social media shows a number of people running as part of the border breach in what many social media users have branded a historic moment.
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 13:55
Thousands of Bangladeshi Muslims rally against Israel attacks
Thousands of Muslims led by activists from an Islamic political party joined a demonstration in Bangladesh’s capital on Friday to denounce the killing of Palestinians in Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Some protesters carried signs saying “boycott terrorist state Israel”, while chants of “down with Israel” could also be heard.
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 13:37
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hits out at Joe Biden over response to violence
US Democratic representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez struck out at President Joe Biden’s response to the surge of violence in Gaza this week, asking if “Palestinians have a right to survive?”
Speaking on the House floor on Thursday, she said: “The president and many other figures this week stated that Israel has a right to defend itself, and this is a sentiment that’s echoed across this body. But do Palestinians have a right to survive? Do we believe that? And if so, we have a responsibility to that.”
Read more on the New York representative’s comments:
Chantal Da Silva14 May 2021 13:02
[ad_2]
Source link
