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By Lawahez Jabari, Saphora Smith and Yuliya Talmazan
TEL AVIV, Israel – The militant group controlling the Gaza Strip has pledged to escalate its attacks if Israel continues "aggression" as both parties exchange fire during an outbreak that threatens to fail. the laborious truce efforts.
The threat of Hamas came when the Israeli army announced that it was conducting a "large-scale strike against military targets throughout the Gaza Strip" and that the Palestinians have maintained their rocket fire the most. Israel since the Gaza war in 2014.
The outbreak killed six Palestinians, including two militants, and an Israeli civilian. It threatens to derail the efforts of the United Nations, Egypt and Qatar to negotiate a long-term truce and avoid another major conflict in the impoverished and blockaded enclave. About 70% of Gaza's population is refugees or descendants of refugees, and a similar proportion depends on humanitarian aid.
The violence appears to have been sparked by an Israeli botched raid in Gaza on Sunday that claimed the lives of seven Palestinian militants, including a local Hamas commander. An Israeli army officer was also killed during the incursion of Israeli special forces.
Palestinian militants have launched 400 rockets or mortar bombs across the border after launching a surprise attack Monday with guided missiles on an Israeli bus that injured a soldier, the Israeli army said.
Hamas – which controls Gaza since 2007 and is considered a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States – and other armed factions have continued to fire rockets at the Israeli city of Ashkelon at 12. km from the Gaza border, as well as other border communities.
A 40-year-old man was killed when a rocket hit a residential building in Ashkelon, according to Magen David Adom, Israel's national emergency service.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued to strike throughout the Gaza Strip. At noon (5 am ET), more than 150 targets were attacked, including the buildings of the Hamas government and its television channel, the Israel Defense Force announced.
In one night, the Israel Defense Forces claimed responsibility for an airstrike that destroyed the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa television channel in Gaza. The Israeli army then broadcast a video footage of the attack calling it a "Hamas strategic terrorist target".
A wider coalition of militant groups warned Monday that, in the event of an "excessive" aggression by Israel, they "would increase the extent, depth, and intensity of the sites. bombing raid".
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a meeting of the security cabinet on Tuesday to discuss the situation after curtailing his visit to Paris to return for emergency talks.
Meanwhile, US Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt commented on the clashes, saying the United States stood with Israel to defend itself against Hamas violence.
"The world is tired of Hamas violence and the violence of other actors in Gaza," he said in a tweet.
Israel has waged three wars in Gaza over the last decade, and there is growing fear that a new conflict is about to begin.
Yossi Mekelberg, Professor of International Relations at Regent & # 39; s University and senior consultant to the Chatham House think tank in London, said the conditions on the ground were ready for escalation.
"The current blockade in Gaza, the role of Hamas in Gaza, the right-wing government in Israel – some conditions are unstable," he said, adding that in this case, the trigger was the operation of the Israeli special forces Sunday.
Mr Mekelberg said the two sides reacted with excessive force, most likely to show that they were entering into truce negotiations in a position of strength. He added that the demonstrations of force on both sides also served to appease the factions within their own constituencies that were not satisfied with the talks on the truce.
Mekelberg said it would depend on unpredictable factors such as the number of victims and targets.
He said the international community should intervene but criticized Greenblatt's tweets accusing Hamas. "At this point, the most important thing is to make every effort to end the vicious cycle of violence," he said.
This week's fights came days afterr a $ 15 million injection of Qatari funds was paid to impoverished officials in Gaza, offering Hamas a potential domestic reprieve, although Israel said the money would not be given to the dominant Islamist group.
Residents on either side of the border said they heard gunshots as they tried to sleep or socialized Sunday night as the Israeli raid went out of control.
Ma'amoun Shawaf, owner of a cafe in Khan Younis, 23, said he heard people yelling "Israeli forces, come back, come back," call people to leave.
Shawaf said he was rushed to the place where the shooting started and saw ground bodies and injured people. "At that time, I realized that something was going on," he said. "And I started telling my friends that the war was going to start tonight."
Adele Raemer, on the other side of the Israeli border, said that she could not sleep because of the sound of explosions and gunfire. "We are used to riding this roller coaster," said the 63-year-old ESL teacher from the Bronx.
"Nobody likes the roller coaster, but we are there, and the problem is that you never know when you are going to ride on it and when the ride is over."
Lawahez Jabari reported from Tel Aviv. Saphora Smith and Yuliya Talmazan have been reported in London.
Reuters contributed.
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