At least 22 Palestinians were killed, including nine children, when #Israel carried out deadly airstrikes in Gaza on Monday.
On the other hand, Israel claimed to have hit 130 “military targets” in Gaza and eliminated 15 Hamas and Islamic Jihad agents.
“We hit 130 military targets, most of which belong to Hamas,” the Islamist group that controls the blocked Gaza Strip told reporters, Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus.
Rocket interceptions over Ashkelon, Israel, moments ago#IsraelUnderFirepic.twitter.com/1qxWpuYrhT
— Israel Under Fire (@israelunderfire) May 11, 2021
“According to our current estimates, we have killed 15 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists,” he said.
Violence has skyrocketed since Israeli police attacked unarmed Palestinians praying on the grounds of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, injuring hundreds of Palestinians in the process.
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Hamas gave the Israeli forces a deadline at 1500 GMT Monday to evict Al-Aqsa, the third holiest site in Islam. Shortly after the deadline, there were reports of rocket fire on Israeli territory.
Israeli military spokesman Conricus said Israel could not yet confirm or deny that its attacks resulted in civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip.
He told reporters that the sites targeted so far include weapons manufacturing and storage facilities, training centers, and military bases in Gaza.
“We are in the early stages of our counterattacks … they will continue.”
Tensions persist in Jerusalem following the brutality of the Israeli police.
Tensions in Jerusalem have increased since Israeli riot police attacked Palestinian worshipers on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan during the city’s worst riots since 2017.
Since then, nighttime riots at Al-Aqsa have injured hundreds of Palestinians, leading to international calls for a reduction in escalation and strong reprimands from around the Muslim world. Diplomatic sources told AFP that Egypt and Qatar, which have mediated conflicts between Israel and Hamas in the past, were trying to ease tensions.
