The Hamas terrorist group fired 2,300 rockets at Israel in the last six days. Of the total, 380 rockets were misfired and landed inside Gaza, Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted a thousand, and more than 900 hit Israeli territory.
In Gaza, the Palestinian militias, led by the terrorist group Hamas, fired 2,300 rockets at Israel since last Monday when the current escalation of war between the two sides began, the Israeli Army reported on Saturday. Of the total number of rockets, 380 were missed and fell inside the Palestinian coastal enclave, and a thousand were intercepted by the Israeli anti-missile system, Iron Dome, according to the source.
The escalating war has already killed over 149 people. Tensions soared on Monday with rocket fire from the enclave, following protests and riots in Jerusalem, and Israeli shelling that has escalated into a warlike confrontation, the worst since 2014. Anti-aircraft sirens continued to sound today in communities bordering Gaza, in the Israeli city of Ashkelon, and in Beersheba in southern Israel.
The Israeli Army claims to attack only targets belonging to the Islamist Hamas and Islamic Jihad militias, and their members and estimates that it has killed more than 30 militiamen, including senior commanders, in targeted attacks.
The massive ground and air offensive in the early hours of Friday morning targeted a network of subway tunnels where their leaders are apparently hiding, and several of them are estimated to have been killed, pending confirmation of identities.
Israeli bombing raids in recent hours destroyed Hamas intelligence and rocket facilities, the Army said. The U.S. envoy, Hady Amr, is in Israel to try to mediate and reach a ceasefire in the escalating tension between Palestinians and Israelis that has spread.
Lebanon closed border
Lebanese authorities have closed the roads leading to the border area with Israel. On Friday, a group of protesters crossed the fence supporting Palestine over the escalating violence in the Gaza Strip after new rallies were called for this Saturday.
The Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported the implementation of “strict security measures” in the Marjayoun border area, where roads have been closed, and checkpoints opened “to prevent Palestinian processions from reaching the Lebanese border and occupied Palestine”.
A series of Palestinian factions have called for protests on the Marjayún esplanade for this Saturday and have mobilized buses to transport the protesters to the border from several Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanese territory, where about 500,000 registered with the United Nations reside.
Yesterday, a group of protesters crossed the fence separating Lebanon and Israel, resulting in the death of a young man affiliated with the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah and the wounding of another person by Israeli forces.
Following the incident, the UN Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and the Lebanese Army sent reinforcements to the area, where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
Lebanon and neighboring Israel do not maintain diplomatic relations; they are formally at war and, to date, after several armed conflicts, have not yet established a permanent ceasefire. The protests come amid the worst escalation of violence in the last seven years between Palestinians and Israelis.
