Israel exchanges fire against Gaza

Jerusalem – The Israeli army on Saturday launched its largest campaign of air strikes in the Gaza Strip since the 2014 war, and Hamas fighters fired dozens of rockets at Israel during the day. , which could ] total conflict due to increased tensions in the conflict boundary in recent weeks.

Two Palestinian teenagers were killed in an air strike in Gaza City, while three Israelis were injured due to the fall of a rocket in a house.

Israel said that it focused its attacks on Hamas targets and warned civilians in Gaza to stay away from certain places. But even before the reports of the victims, intense exchanges of fire and rocket fire constituted a major recovery from a long-standing conflict that had been brewing at a low level.

" The Israeli army inflicted its most painful attack on Hamas since the 2014 war and we will increase the strength of our attacks as much as necessary ," said the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu . [18 @ 5909] Towards Saturday night, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters announced the agreement of a ceasefire negotiated by Egypt, but the sirens of alert continued to ring in Israel on Sunday and it was not known whether the truce remained in force. .

Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus stated that the most recent Israeli incursion on the third day was directed against some 40 Hamas targets, including tunnels, logistics centers and a battalion barracks. He attributed the escalation of the conflict to persistent rocket attacks by Hamas, to the encouragement of violence along the border and to the launching campaign of kites and incendiary balloons that devastated agricultural land and nature reserves in Israel.

"Our message to Hamas is that we can and will increase the intensity of our efforts if necessary," he added. "What Hamas is doing is getting closer and closer to the edge of the abyss … Hamas must understand that it will have to pay a price."

Later, witnesses reported that the Israeli air force dropped four bombs on a building under construction near a police and security complex of Hamas in Gaza City, where it was reduced to rubble. The four-storey building is adjacent to a public park. The Gaza Health Ministry said that two teenagers died and 10 were injured because of the attack.