Israeli-Palestinian clashes: Israeli strikes hit home in Gaza refugee camp, media offices as conflict intensifies
Editor’s Note: This story contains graphic images. Viewer discretion is advised.
(CNN)Israel bombed a house in Gaza where a family had gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan and an office housing international media as a new flurry of Hamas missiles rained down on Tel Aviv Saturday, increasing fears that a de-escalation of the conflict could soon be out of reach.
The Jala’a building, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Saturday afternoon, contained offices for Al Jazeera and the Associated Press, among other media outlets, marking the latest escalation of violence that has spread across Israel and the Palestinian territories this week — the conflict’s bloodiest in recent years. Israel launched more airstrikes on Gaza overnight, with Hamas retaliating with missiles on Saturday. In less than a week, Israeli airstrikes killed more than 130 people and at least 1,000 others injured in Gaza alone, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said, as rioting and mob violence between Arabs and Jews marred cities and towns throughout Israel.
Hamas fired dozens of missiles towards Tel Aviv on Saturday, with Al-Qassam Brigades, the militant wing of Hamas, saying in a statement the move was in direct retaliation for Israeli airstrikes on a Gazan refugee camp. A 50-year old man was killed early Saturday afternoon after a rocket hit a series of buildings in a residential area in a Tel Aviv suburb called Ramat Gan, bringing Israel’s death toll to 10, according to Israel’s emergency service.
Members of the Israeli emergency services work at a site in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on May 15, after rockets were launched from Gaza.
A baby is brought to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment on May 15, after being injured in an Israeli airstrike, which destroyed a 3-story house and killed 10 members of the child’s family.Early Saturday, an infant was the lone survivor in a house that was hit and destroyed in an Israeli air strike hit in the al-Shati refugee camp, killing 10 members of the infant’s family — including eight children, according to the Palestinian News Agency WAFA. At least 20 other Palestinians were wounded after several nearby houses were damaged in the Israeli airstrike, it added.Read MoreThe Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its forces struck several positions in Gaza late Friday, including a military intelligence site. “Hamas is paying the price for its terror,” it said in a Twitter post on Saturday.
Terrified families huddle together in Gaza as Eid festivities turn into nights of death and destructionMilitants in Gaza responded to the airstrikes on the refugee camp on Saturday with rockets targeting the Israeli cities of Beersheba, Ashdod, and Sderot. The IDF posted a video on Twitter of a blazing fire in Ashdod, warning that the move “won’t go unanswered.”On the Jala’a building strike, the Israeli Airforce said Saturday that fighter jets targeted a building which was housing Hamas military intelligence assets and using media outlets as “shields.”The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza, however has accused the IDF of “direct targeting of crowded civilian areas” and failing to take precautionary measures to spare civilian lives.In a statement Saturday, the Associated Press said that the news agency does not have any “indication Hamas was in the building or active in the building” where its bureau in Gaza was located.The Foreign Press Association and the Committee to Protect Journalists on Saturday condemned the Israeli strike on a Gaza building housing media outlets, including Al Jazeera and the Associated Press.”It is utterly unacceptable for Israel to bomb and destroy the offices of media outlets and endanger the lives of journalists. Israeli authorities know where media outlets are housed,” the CPJ said on Twitter. CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon, said in a statement: “We demand that the Israeli government provide a detailed and documented justification for this military attack on a civilian facility given the possible violation of international humanitarian law.” By Saturday, at least 139 people had been killed in Gaza, including at least 39 children, the Palestinian Health Ministry reported, with the number of injured Palestinians in Gaza rising to at least 1,000 people. At least 254 of the injured are children who have sustained injuries as a result of Israeli airstrikes, it said on Friday.The United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), said in a statement on Saturday that “children are bearing the brunt of this escalation” in violence between Israel and the Palestinians.UNICEF’s regional director for the Middle East and North Africa, Ted Chaiban, said “all sides have an obligation to protect civilians — especially children — and facilitate humanitarian access.”Chaiban said eight Palestinian children were reported killed north of Gaza overnight. They ranged in age from six months to 17 years, with more than half under 10 years old, he said. “In Israel, two children, including a six-year-old, were killed since the escalation began,” he said.Ashraf al-Qudra, the spokesman for Gaza health ministry, urged “the international community of the necessity to curb the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip,” adding that “we monitor these violations against Palestinian families, and this is a blatant violation.”
An Israeli woman inspects the damage to her house following a rocket attack from Gaza, in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, on May 15.
Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings following overnight Israeli airstrikes in the town of Beit Hanoun, Gaza, on Friday, May 14.US President Joe Biden on Saturday spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden “raised concerns about the safety and security of journalists and reinforced the need to ensure their protection” according to a readout of the call released by the White House.While President Biden again “reaffirmed his strong support for Israel’s right to defend itself against rocket attacks from Hamas,” he also expressed his concern for the Palestinian people.A readout of the call from Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister “updated the President on developments and action that Israel has taken and still intends to carry out” and thanked Biden “for the unwavering support of USA in our right to defend ourselves.”Netanyahu said that “Israel does all it can to avoid hitting innocent parties,” adding that “the proof of which is that innocent parties are evacuated from high-rise buildings where there is a terrorist target attacked by IDF.”President Biden also spoke with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday. In a readout after a phone call with Biden, Abbas called on the American President to intervene in putting an end to “Israeli attack on Palestinian people everywhere,” an official statement by the Palestinian Authority said on Saturday. President Abbas also said that he is ready to work with the American administration to “strengthen bilateral relations and remove any obstacles standing in their way.” The Palestinian statement said that “President Biden stressed the commitment of the United States to the two-state solution, and the importance of giving hope to the Palestinian people to achieve peace.” Defense Minister Benny Gantz said in a tweet on Saturday that “Israel has no interest in escalation, but is ready for any scenario.””We have charged a very heavy price from Hamas in the last day — and we have more plans in line,” he added. Posting a photo of him speaking to Israeli commanders, Gantz warned that “if terrorism raises its head — we will lower it.” The Biden administration, which has said its focus is on de-escalation and working with allies in the region on that goal, sent US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israel and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr to Israel on Friday. The US Embassy in Jerusalem said in a post on Twitter that Amr’s trip would “reinforce the need to work toward a sustainable calm, recognizing Israel’s right to self-defense. Israelis and Palestinians deserve equal measures of freedom, security, dignity and prosperity.” But efforts at international diplomacy so far appear to have stalled. A UN Security Council meeting on the violence will take place Sunday morning; the US blocked previous Security Council efforts to meet, preferring direct diplomacy on the conflict rather than discussion in an international forum.
Whatever happened to Jared Kushner's peace plan? An Israeli military official said on Friday that Israel is prepared to continue hitting “quality targets” for an “extended period of time.” Approximately 2,300 rockets have been fired from Gaza towards Israel, of which approximately 380 failed launches fell in Gaza, the IDF said on Saturday, adding that their Iron Dome Aerial Defense System has intercepted approximately 1,000 rockets.Following the strike on the Jala’a building Saturday, the Al-Qassam Brigades spokesperson said: “After the strike on the civilian tower in Gaza, the residents of Tel Aviv and central Israel should be prepared for our quaking response.”And that violence has boiled over to the occupied West Bank, where on Friday, at least 10 Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces during violent clashes in towns and cities across the territory, according to the Gaza-based Palestinian Health Ministry.
Israeli soldiers operate during clashes with Palestinian protesters in the city of Hebron, West Bank, on May 14.The violence there marks the largest number of people killed in a single day in the West Bank in years. The Palestinian Red Crescent said Palestinians in the West Bank had been targeted with live ammunition, as well as rubber bullets and teargas. According to the Palestinian Health Ministry, the majority of those who were injured on Friday were “shot by live ammunition,” saying that more than 500 Palestinians have been injured since clashes erupted earlier this week.An IDF spokesman said in a statement live ammunition was used after “crowd dispersal means” (referring to tear gas and rubber-coated bullets) had failed to stop the unrest.The recent conflict began at the start of the week, fueled by controversy over planned evictions of Palestinian families in East Jerusalem and restrictions at a popular meeting point near the Old City. It has since escalated rapidly into one of the worst rounds of violence the area has seen since the 2014 Gaza War, which saw more than 2,200 Gazans killed during the fighting, approximately half of them civilians, including more than 550 children, according to a United Nations report.
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA ball of fire erupts from the Jala Tower, which houses the Associated Press, Al Jazeera, and other media offices, as it is destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, on Saturday, May 15.Hide Caption 1 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemRelatives mourn over the bodies of the Abu Khatab family, who were killed in Israeli air strike, at the Shifa Hospital morgue on May 15, in Gaza City.Hide Caption 2 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA nurse holds an injured baby at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on May 15. The baby was pulled alive from a building destroyed by an Israeli air strike, which killed 10 members of the child’s family.Hide Caption 3 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemMembers of the Israeli emergency services work at a site in Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, on May 15, after a rocket fired from Gaza struck the area.Hide Caption 4 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets fired from Gaza as people take cover in a shelter, shortly after their building was struck by a rocket in Ramat Gan, Israel, on May 15.Hide Caption 5 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemRachel El-Gazar walks inside her damaged house in Sderot, Israel, following rocket fire from Gaza on May 15.Hide Caption 6 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA Palestinian protester launches flares amid clashes with Israeli soldiers in the city of Hebron, West Bank, on Friday, May 14.Hide Caption 7 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA Palestinian woman reacts amid the damage caused by Israeli air strikes in Beit Hanun, Gaza, on May 14.Hide Caption 8 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli soldiers prepare an artillery unit in Sderot, Israel, near the border with Gaza on May 14.Hide Caption 9 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA man in Ashkelon, Israel, views a damaged car and building that was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza.Hide Caption 10 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinians take shelter in a UN school in Gaza City on Thursday, May 13.Hide Caption 11 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemJulianna Sror views the damage to her apartment after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza overnight in Petah Tikva, Israel, on May 13.Hide Caption 12 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA Palestinian walks next to a building destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on May 13.Hide Caption 13 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli soldiers fire a 155mm self-propelled howitzer towards Gaza from their position near the southern Israeli city of Sderot on May 13.Hide Caption 14 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli security forces detain a Palestinian man outside the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City on May 13.Hide Caption 15 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA man checks damage following a rocket attack from Gaza in the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva on May 13.Hide Caption 16 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemMuslims perform the morning Eid al-Fitr prayer, marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan in the Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem on May 13.Hide Caption 17 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA passenger rolls his luggage at the nearly deserted Ben Gurion airport in Lod, Israel, on May 13. Global airlines are canceling flights to Israel as clashes intensify between the country’s military and Palestinian militants.Hide Caption 18 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli police patrol Lod during clashes on Wednesday, May 12.Hide Caption 19 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemMourners surround the body of Lea Yom Tov, an Israeli woman killed by a rocket attack from Gaza, during her funeral in Rishon LeZion, Israel, on May 12.Hide Caption 20 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinians inspect a vehicle destroyed by an Israeli airstrike after the bodies of its occupants were retrieved in Gaza City on May 12.Hide Caption 21 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemTorah scrolls, Jewish holy scriptures, are removed from a synagogue that was burned during confrontations between demonstrators and police in Lod, Israel, on May 12.Hide Caption 22 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemAn aerial view on May 12 shows the remains of a Gaza City tower building that was destroyed in Israeli airstrikes.Hide Caption 23 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemAn Israeli firefighter extinguishes a burning bus in Holon, Israel, after it was hit by a rocket fired from Gaza on May 11.Hide Caption 24 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA stun grenade fired by Israeli forces explodes as Palestinians take part in an anti-Israel protest in Hebron, West Bank, on May 11.Hide Caption 25 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPeople sit on a staircase of a house in Ashkelon, Israel, as rockets are fired from Gaza on May 11.Hide Caption 26 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA streak of light is seen from Ashkelon, Israel, as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from Gaza on May 11.Hide Caption 27 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinians inspect the rubble of the destroyed Hanadi tower after an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City on May 11.Hide Caption 28 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA damaged house is pictured in a residential neighborhood in Ashkelon, Israel, on May 11, after rockets were fired from Gaza.Hide Caption 29 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinian children inspect a damaged bedroom following an Israeli airstrike at al-Shati Refugee Camp in Gaza City on May 11.Hide Caption 30 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli firefighters take cover in Ashkelon as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets on May 11.Hide Caption 31 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinians search for survivors under the rubble of a destroyed rooftop after a residential building was hit by Israeli missile strikes at the Shate refugee camp in Gaza City on May 11.Hide Caption 32 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemThe mother of Palestinian Hussain Hamad, 11, is comforted by mourners during his funeral in Beit Hanoun, Gaza, on May 11. The boy was killed during fire between Israel and Gaza.Hide Caption 33 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemAn Israeli soldier checks a damaged apartment building in Ashkelon on May 11.Hide Caption 34 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemFlames and smoke rise from buildings in southern Gaza during Israeli airstrikes on May 11.Hide Caption 35 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli rescue teams help residents in a residential neighborhood of Ashkelon on May 11.Hide Caption 36 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinians clash with Israeli security forces at the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday, May 10.Hide Caption 37 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraelis take part in the annual Jerusalem Day march on May 10, marking the reunification of Jerusalem after Israel captured the eastern part of the city from Jordan in the 1967 Six-Day War.Hide Caption 38 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemPalestinians are seen at the Aqsa Mosque compound during confrontations with Israeli police on May 10. Hide Caption 39 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemIsraeli police detain a Palestinian during clashes at the Aqsa Mosque on May 10.Hide Caption 40 of 41
Photos: Violence escalates after clashes in JerusalemA Palestinian man runs from tear gas during clashes with Israeli security forces at the Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City on May 10.Hide Caption 41 of 41
Rioting and violent clashes between Arab and Jewish citizens swept across several Israeli cities the week, including Lod, Bat Yam and Acre, leading Netanyahu to warn against “lynching” by either community. Punctuating the escalating conflict is the fear that the violence could spill out past borders under Israel’s control as Palestinians across the region will mark al-Nakba, or, “the catastrophe” on Saturday. The annual commemoration marks the day that more than 700,000 Palestinians were driven from or left their homes during the 1948-1949 Arab-Israeli war.
In Lebanon, Nakba day demonstrations at the southern border with Israel on Saturday afternoon got tense after young people protesting in solidarity with Palestinians charged the border wall before the demonstration began. The Lebanese Army urged protesters to go back, warning that they were “going to shoot.” The scenes were unfolding just a day after a Lebanese man died of shrapnel wounds he sustained from IDF rockets launched at people protesting in solidarity with Palestinians at the same border, according to the Lebanese National News agency, NNA. Israel Defense Forces said in a Friday statement that tanks fired at protesters who crossed into Israeli territory, sabotaging the border fence and setting off fires.And in Jordan over the past few days, protesters have also been marching against Israeli strikes in Gaza, with people protesting at the Jordan-Israel border for a second day in a row in solidarity with Palestinians. Demonstrators on Saturday called on the Jordanian monarch to open the borders so they can go “fight with their brothers.”
Source: edition.cnn.com
