Hectic efforts to end violence as Israel pounds Gaza
As the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip lit up the skies and sent civilians running for cover for a fifth night running, diplomats stepped up efforts to try and end the violence.
As Gazans marked a grim Eid alFitr and Israel began a holiday weekend with no sign of an end to fighting, casualties spread further afield, with Palestinians reporting 11 killed in the West Bank amid clashes between protesters and Israeli security forces.
The Israeli military claimed more than 2,000 rockets had been fired from Gaza into Israel since the start of the conflict, around half of which were intercepted by missile defence systems and 350 fell into the Gaza Strip.
At least 126 people have been killed in Gaza since Monday, including 31 children and 20 women, and 950 others wounded, Palestinian medical officials said.
Among eight dead in Israel were a soldier patrolling the Gaza border and six Israeli civilians, including two children, Israeli authorities said.
Ahead of a session of the UN Security Council tomorrow to discuss the situation, Biden administration envoy Hady Amr, deputy assistant secretary for Israel and Palestinian Affairs, flew in yesterday.
The US embassy in Israel said the aim of his trip was “to reinforce the need to work toward a sustainable calm.”
Israel launched day-long attacks to destroy what it said were several kilometres of tunnels, launch sites and weapon manufacturing warehouses.
The Israeli operation included 160 aircraft as well as tanks and artillery firing from outside the Gaza Strip, Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said.
There have also been clashes between Jews and Israel’s minority Arab community in mixed cities across Israel.
The Israeli police said they had arrested at least 23 people over the unrest.
The Israeli army said three rockets had been fired from Syria at the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights but there were no reports of any damage.