JERUSALEM – Palestinian Islamic Jihad fighters fired a salvo of rockets into Jerusalem early Sunday morning, in the latest wave of fierce cross-border attacks began Friday with Israeli air strikes against the Gaza-based group.
According to an official familiar with the discussions, Egypt-brokered talks for a ceasefire got underway on Sunday, raising hopes of an end to hostilities within 24 hours. next hour.
However, the situation remained unstable as militants continued to fire rockets in the afternoon, first at closer range, into Israeli territory along the Gaza border and beyond, towards the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv. . The Israeli military said it was continuing to attack Islamic Jihad rocket launch sites.
The militants’ previous attacks, which occurred shortly after 8 a.m. Sunday, came as hundreds of Orthodox Jews marked the day’s gloom by visiting a holy site visited by both Muslims and venerated Jews in the Old City of Jerusalem. Warning sirens wail in the villages in the surrounding hills.
There were no reports of casualties; According to the Israeli military, most of the rockets launched by the rebels in the past two days were ineffective, with most being intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defenses or falling in open areas, according to the Israeli military. The militants fired nearly 600 rockets at Israel.
Israel hit the blockaded and impoverished coastal area of Gaza with air strikes and artillery on Friday and Saturday, saying it was hitting Islamic Jihad military targets, including including some located in residential buildings.
In Gaza, residents emerged after a night of bloodshed in what has become the most violent conflict between Israel and militants in Gaza in more than a year.
According to the Ministry of Health there, at least 31 people have been killed so far, and 275 injured. The ministry said on Sunday six children were killed.
Israel said some of those children were killed Saturday night when a jihadist rocket mistakenly shot and fell in the northern Gaza Strip. The Israeli military said it was not active in that area at the time. Islamic Jihad has not yet commented on the Israeli statement.
The Israeli military also hailed what Israeli officials and analysts hailed as a key success in Saturday night’s operation with the killing of Khaled Mansour, a senior commander of the jihadist organization. is responsible for the southern region of Gaza.
Islamic Jihad confirmed the commander’s death early Sunday morning. His body was found under the rubble of a residential building along with the bodies of two fighters and five civilians, including a child.
“We affirm that the blood of martyrs will not be shed in vain,” the jihadist wing said in a statement, adding that Mansour’s death “would burn fused the battle to defend Jerusalem and the Al-Aqsa Mosque,” referring to the sacred site in the city that Jews revere as the Temple Mount.
Mr Mansour’s death comes a day after Israeli attacks killed the military commander of the northern region of Islamic Jihad, Taysir al-Jabari. Earlier this week, Israel arrested a senior figure of the group in the West Bank, prompting threats of retaliation. Israel said its initial strikes were pre-emptive, aimed at preventing jihadist organizations from tracking such threats.
Hamas, The much larger Islamist militant group that dominates Gaza has so far stayed out of the fighting, a factor that could limit the scope and duration of the conflict.
The last major conflict in Gaza, which took place over 11 days in May 2021, began after Hamas fired a salvo of rockets towards Jerusalem following days of confrontation between Israel and the Palestinians there.
Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht, a spokesman for the Israeli military, said Sunday that “silence will be answered with silence, but if they continue to open fire, we will continue to act”, repeating a point that Israel has raised as many times before as they have attempted. defeated previous campaigns in Gaza.
Iyad Abuheweila, Gabby Sobelman and Fady Hanona contributed reporting.
