Israel pounds Gaza; Palestinians respond with rockets

TIRANA, August 6 – Israel says it has arrested 19 members of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in raids across the occupied West Bank, after carrying out airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.
Fifteen people have been killed in the air strikes, including a child and PIJ leader Tayseer Jabari.
Israel said the strikes followed an “immediate threat” from the group.
Scores of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel overnight, most of them intercepted, Israel’s military said.
The latest violence is the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza in just over a year.
The Israeli military is warning this latest operation – codenamed Breaking Dawn – could last for a week.
In the meantime it is reported that Hamas, the biggest militant group in the area – which has similar ideology to Islamic Jihad and often coordinates its actions with it – does not seem to be firing from its large rocket arsenal.
However Hamas issued strong statements on Friday night saying that “resistance groups” were united. But because it governs Gaza it has its own practical considerations which may stop it from getting more involved.
The US said on Friday that it is working with Israel, Palestine, and regional partners to restore “calm” after Israeli airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip left 10 people dead, including a child and a militant leader, and dozens more wounded.
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged all parties “to avoid further escalation,” and said the Biden administration remains “unwavering in our commitment to Israel security.”
In the meantime the Palestinian Authority has called on the international community to pressure Israel to stop the aggression against Palestinians, particularly in Gaza, and to provide them with international protection. /Argumentum.al