Palestinian rockets reach west of Jerusalem on third day of Gaza fighting

GAZA/JERUSALEM, Aug 7 (Reuters) – Palestinian militants fired rockets towards Jerusalem on Sunday, inflicting no casualties however signalling new reach and unravel as Israel pressed air moves within the Gaza Strip and admitted Jewish guests to a contested mosque compound.

The Islamic Jihad faction mentioned it focused Jerusalem in retaliation for Israel’s killing in a single day of Khaled Mansour, its commander in southern Gaza. “The blood of the martyrs will not be wasted,” it mentioned.

About 30 Palestinians, no less than a third of them civilians, had been killed in Gaza fighting that erupted on Friday, whilst rocket salvoes have paralysed a lot of southern Israel and despatched citizens in towns like Tel Aviv and Ashkelon to shelters.

Casualties on the Israeli aspect had been avoided by means of the Iron Dome antimissile device, which a military spokesman mentioned had a 97% luck charge in taking pictures down rockets.

The flare-up has fearful global powers and induced ceasefire mediation by means of Egypt. But it’s been contained by means of the truth that Hamas, the governing Islamist crew within the impoverished and blockaded Gaza Strip since 2007, has held hearth.

Palestinians dazed by means of any other surge of bloodshed – after outbreaks of warfare in 2008-09, 2012, 2014 and remaining 12 months – picked in the course of the ruins of properties to salvage furnishings or paperwork.

“Who wants a war? No one. But we also don’t like to keep silent when women, children and leaders are killed,” mentioned a Gaza taxi motive force who known himself handiest as Abu Mohammad.

“An eye for an eye.”

Israel mentioned it will prevent taking pictures if Islamic Jihad did. “Quiet will be answered with quiet,” an army spokesman mentioned.

The booms of mid-air rocket interceptions over cities some 5 km (2 miles) west of Jerusalem may well be heard within the town as Jews fasted in an annual commemoration of two historic temples.

The web page the place the ones shrines as soon as stood is now the Al Aqsa mosque compound, Islam’s third holiest web page and an icon of Palestinian nationalism, in Jerusalem’s walled Old City.

Scores of Jews toured the compound below police guard on Sunday. The scheduled visits are an affront to Palestinians.

Video circulated on-line confirmed some Jews seeking to pray in defiance of Israeli rules, as police moved in to prevent them and Muslim worshippersshouted in protest. Confrontations on the web page helped spark a May 2021 warfare between Israel and Hamas. learn extra

Israel introduced Friday’s moves in what it described because the pre-emption of an Islamic Jihad assault intended to avenge the arrest of a gaggle chief within the occupied West Bank. Arrest sweeps towards the gang have persisted in that territory.

The masses of rockets fired by means of Islamic Jihad in reaction are the cause of the ongoing operation, in keeping with Israeli Justice Minister Gideon Saar, a member of the decision-making safety cupboard.

Asked on Israel’s Army Radio whether or not an finish could be shut, he mentioned: “I hope so, but I don’t want to pin excessive hopes on that. To the extent that Islamic Jihad wants to protract this operation, it will regret it.”

Additional reporting by means of Ali Sawafta; writing by means of Dan Williams; enhancing by means of Mark Heinrich

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