Fighting between Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s army continues. The Israeli media reported last night that no breakthrough had yet been achieved in the negotiations on a ceasefire brokered by Egypt. Earlier it was said that Israel had put the talks on hold because of the heavy rocket fire at the militant Palestinians. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
Israel’s air force says it has bombed more than 250 Islamic Jihad positions in the Gaza Strip since Tuesday. The army also specifically killed several high-ranking members of the group, which has close ties to Iran and is considered a terrorist organization in the US, Europe and Israel. Targeted killings are controversial among experts. The United Nations considers them a violation of international law.
Since the start of the Israeli military offensive, 33 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip, including 6 children. More than 100 were injured. According to Palestinian information, at least 17 of the dead were civilians. Israel’s army said 4 civilian casualties were killed by misguided jihad missiles. This could not initially be verified independently.
According to the army, militant Palestinians have so far fired more than 970 rockets and mortar shells towards Israel, 760 of which crossed the border. An 80-year-old woman was killed in a rocket attack on a house in the Israeli city of Rehovot on Thursday. Since the attacks began, 22 people have also been injured in Israel.
