Israel steps up offensive against Gaza as mob violence escalates
Israeli forces launched a heavy attack on Gaza last night, striking with ground, naval and air forces in response to more rocket attacks from Hamas militants.
The Israeli army said the overnight operation, which lasted around 40 minutes, was designed to destroy a network of tunnels used by the Palestinian militants.
In a brief statement this morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had used 160 aircraft, tanks, artillery and infantry units along the border to strike 150 targets and damage many kilometres of the Hamas ‘Metro’ network.
There was confusion last night after the IDF tweeted that it was “attacking in the Gaza Strip”, but later clarified that there were “currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip” – suggesting the attack was not a ground invasion but artillery and tank fire from the border.
Last night’s attacks were nonetheless the most serious escalation since the 2014 war and many Palestinian families near the border have fled in fear of an Israeli incursion.
Meanwhile, Hamas militants continued to launch rockets from the strip towards Israel, firing three more volleys amounting to about 55 rockets last night. According to the IDF, Palestinian militants have fired some 1,600 rockets towards Israel from Gaza in the last few days.
There were also reports of three rockets being fired towards Israel from Lebanon last night, leading to fears that a new front might open in the conflict. But Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia, denied all knowledge of the missiles, which Israel said had landed in the sea.
At least 119 Palestinians have died since the exchanges began on Monday, including 29 children and 15 women, according to Gaza’s health ministry. Palestinian militants have said 20 of their fighters are among the dead, though Israeli officials said this figure is much higher. On the Israeli side, seven people have been killed, including two children and a soldier.
The conflict has triggered the worst street violence between Jews and Israeli Arabs in years, with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin warning of “civil war” in the country. Synagogues have been attacked, cars torched and individuals beaten up by mobs.
Last night the Israeli police said one person was injured in the city of Lod when shots were fired at a group of Jews, while the Times of Israel reported that a police officer was injured by gunfire from Arab rioters in Ramle, near Tel Aviv. The newspaper also said that far-right rioters attacked journalists from the Kan public broadcaster in southern Tel Aviv.
More than 400 people have been arrested, and border police have been redeployed from the occupied West Bank to towns inside Israel. “We’re in an emergency,” the Israeli defence minister, Benny Gantz, said in a statement.
As the hostilities entered their fifth consecutive day, world leaders including President Putin called for calm. “The primary task is to stop violent actions on both sides and ensure the safety of the civilian population,” the Kremlin said in a statement after a video call with António Guterres, the UN secretary general.
Egyptian and United Nations officials have been speaking with both sides, and the US has dispatched a senior diplomat to the region.
Despite diplomatic efforts, there have been no signs of a de-escalation of tensions. Benny Gantz has ordered the mobilisation of an additional 9,000 Israeli reservists ahead of a possible ground invasion in Gaza and Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli Prime Minister, released a statement last night, saying: “The final word has not been said and this operation will continue as long as necessary in order to restore the calm and security to the State of Israel.”