Battle in Gaza: Israeli officer and several Palestinians killed

Jerusalem / Gaza (APA / dpa / AFP) – The deployment of a special Israeli force in the Gaza Strip killed seven Palestinian militants and an Israeli officer. The Israeli army said that another officer had been injured during a shootout. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin was "shocked and sad" on Monday over the soldier's death.

During the incident near Khan Younis, several militants of the military arm of the Palestinian organization were killed, including a local commander. According to Palestinian sources, he was allegedly responsible for the construction of tunnels, rocket attacks against Israel, and attacks on Israeli soldiers. In addition, seven other people were injured, said the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The incident on Sunday night raised fears of another major escalation between Israel and Hamas. The Israeli prime minister's office said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had abridged his visit to France on the security situation in southern Israel. Monday, the Security Cabinet was to meet under his presidency.

Netanyahu commemorated the end of the First World War 100 years ago in the French capital. He was scheduled to meet French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.

According to his services, the Israeli Minister of Defense, Avigdor Lieberman, was responsible for the military headquarters.

According to Hamas, Israeli special forces have entered the southern Gaza Strip with a civilian vehicle for three kilometers. The purpose of the operation was to kidnap Nur Baraka, 37-year-old Hamas commander. Palestinian militants, however, had discovered the special unit in their vehicle near Khan Yunis and had verified the identity of the Israelis.

The Israelis killed Nour Baraka and then headed for the border. Hamas fighters opened fire and sued the special unit. Subsequently, Israeli fighter jets fired on the area to allow the soldiers to retreat. According to Palestinian statements, Baraka was a commander of the Ezzedin al-Qbadam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas.

An Israeli army spokesman stressed: "This was not an attempt at badbadination or attempted kidnapping." The army said that, contrary to rumors, no Israeli soldier had been abducted during the incident.

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz wrote that the army may have wanted to collect information during the operation, especially in the Hamas attack tunnels to Israel.

After the incident, Palestinian militants fired 17 missiles on Israel. Three of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system, announced the Israeli army. A rocket alarm has been fired in Israeli border towns.

According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, more than 220 Palestinians have been killed since March during partially violent demonstrations on the border between Gaza and the Gaza Strip. The protesters call for the lifting of the blockade imposed on Gaza for more than a decade, as well as for the return of Palestinian refugees to areas that now belong to Israel.

The Gaza Strip has more than two million inhabitants. There is a lack of drinking water and electricity, among others. Hamas is clbadified by the United States, the European Union and Israel as a terrorist organization.

Egypt has been trying for months to find a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas. Thursday, according to media reports, Israel has authorized Qatar 's ambbadadors to import $ 15 million in cash (13 million euros) into the Gaza Strip. This should allow Hamas to pay the outstanding salaries of its employees in the Gaza Strip.