Tel Aviv targeting Gaza rocket attacks

The militant group Hamas led Tel Aviv with ten rockets on Tuesday evening, after increasing the intensity of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, threatening to turn a two-day return of enemies into a wider conflict.

The flights were refocused when the sky in central Tel Aviv cleared following dozens of rockets by Israel’s Iron Dome defenses at once. One hit an empty bus in Holon south of Tel Aviv. At least six people received medical attention and more victims are expected.

The escalation came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the expansion of the Israeli air campaign on the Gaza Strip, with dozens of bombings aimed at destroying Hamas ’operational capabilities by the Israeli military, targeting rocket launchers and military commanders.

“Hamas will receive unexpected blows here,” Netanyahu said Tuesday evening. Hamas responded with an order to attack Tel Aviv, saying it had fired 130 rockets at a time, probably a tactical attempt to bypass Israel’s air defenses.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz, who has ordered the deployment of 5,000 reserve soldiers, said earlier that Israeli airstrikes will continue until they “meet their operational objectives.”

Gaza authorities say 24 Palestinians have been killed, including nine children, although it is not clear whether all of them have died as a result of Israeli airstrikes. Israel killed at least 20 militants of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, according to the Israeli Defense Forces. Israel warned that it was carrying out complex maneuvers that could have killed civilians. “Some of the shootings are within the civilian population and the death toll cannot be ruled out,” he said.

Following the day-long tension in Jerusalem, a militant group led by Gaza on Monday night fired rockets at the city, the city farthest from Israel since 2014. Israel responded immediately with dozens of targeted airstrikes.

Hamas action came on Monday after Israeli police cleared the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, a holy site for Muslims and Jews, and wounded hundreds of Muslim protesters with tear gas, narcotics and rubber bullets. Palestinians have been outraged by the restrictions near the mosque and the planned evictions by the Arabs to pave the way for Jewish settlers.

Officials from Egypt, Qatar and the UN, who are mediating between Israel and Hamas, are trying to restore calm, an Israeli official said on Wednesday. Israel rejected Hamas’ first offer of a truce, Channel 12 reported.

The U.S. has condemned the barrage of Hamas rockets, saying the Arab League’s response in Gaza to Israel is “non-discriminatory and irresponsible” and “a miserable display of strength to the detriment of children’s blood.”

As a sign of the unrest, riots have erupted in several Israeli towns, including Lod, Ramle and Jaffa. There were also clashes in the West Bank in Hebron. “Yesterday there was a lot of confusion here, we can’t accept it, young cold-headed people. Our directive is to do everything we can to maintain law and order, ”Netanyahu said.

In addition to the two dead, six Israelis were injured in the rocket attacks, according to Israeli doctors. The two rockets hit a house and a multi-storey apartment building in Ashkelon, a city near the Gaza Strip, according to a separate report on Kan Radio on Tuesday. 30 people were being treated at a nearby hospital.

Tensions rose with a lawsuit over house evictions, which coincided with Israel’s annual celebration of what was called Jerusalem Day on Sunday, when Israelis celebrated the conquest of East Jerusalem in 1967. The hearing has been postponed.

Violence coincides with the precarious times of Israeli politics. Netanyahu’s position has weakened as coalition talks have progressed, as opponents have moved forward, as they are close to securing the government. dethroned the prime minister five times. His right-wing supporters see the eviction of East Jerusalem as an important part of a long-standing strategy to replace Arabs in the holy city with Jews.

Additional news from Cairo by Heba Saleh