Militants fire rockets into Israel
Border violence along Gaza Strip escalates
JERUSALEM — Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip attacked southern Israel with rockets and mortars Tuesday and Israel responded instantly with a wave of airstrikes across the Palestinian territory, a sharp escalation of violence after weeks of deadly protests, arson attacks and armed clashes along the border.
The exchanges were the most intense cross-border hostilities in Gaza since the two sides fought a 50-day war in the summer of 2014. By 10 p.m. Tuesday, Israel said there had been 70 rockets or mortars fired from Gaza throughout the day.
The military wing of Hamas — the Islamic militant group that rules Gaza — claimed responsibility jointly with another faction, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Earlier in the day, it was initially assumed that Islamic Jihad was behind most of the attacks after Israel killed three of its members Sunday.
“Bombing will be met by bombing and blood for blood,” the two groups said in the joint claim.
Israel responded with airstrikes on 35 targets in Gaza after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel held Hamas responsible for the mortar attacks. Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepted dozens of incoming projectiles, according to the military.
Three soldiers and one civilian were injured on the Israeli side, but no fatalities were reported.
Tensions have been spiraling along the border in recent weeks during a series of Palestinian protests against the 11-year blockade of the Gaza Strip and to press Palestinian claims to lands in what is now Israel. Israel insisted that it was not seeking to escalate and that it was up to Hamas to decide whether to ratchet things up or stand down.
“Quiet will be met with quiet and violence with an appropriate response,” said Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman. But as he spoke, Israel’s civil defense system was alerting its citizens to a fresh round of incoming rockets and more alerts followed.
Late Tuesday, after a deluge of Israeli civil defense alerts about incoming fire from Gaza, Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced a cease-fire and credited Egyptian mediation for the deal. But Israel did not confirm such an agreement, and well after midnight the alerts of launchings from Gaza continued unabated.
Early Wednesday, Israel announced a new wave of airstrikes against 25 more Hamas targets in Gaza, saying it was holding Hamas responsible for conducting and allowing a “wide-scale attack against Israeli citizens.”
The United States called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the latest attacks on Israel from Gaza and said it expected the session to be held Wednesday afternoon.
“The recent attacks out of Gaza are the largest we have seen since 2014,” said Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N. “Mortars fired by Palestinian militants hit civilian infrastructure, including a kindergarten. The Security Council should be outraged and respond to this latest bout of violence directed at innocent Israeli civilians, and the Palestinian leadership needs to be held accountable.”