Gaza, 13 February 2023 (GNP): The Israeli military has carried out bombing raids on the Gaza Strip, claiming that the air strikes were in retaliation for a rocket launched from the Palestinian region throughout the weekend.
Several explosions were reported in Gaza early on Monday. The Israeli army stated they had targeted “an underground complex containing raw materials used for manufacturing rockets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization.”
The Israeli military explained that the strikes responded to Saturday’s rocket launch from the Gaza Strip into Israel. At the time of reporting, no information was available on any casualties. No Palestinian group had claimed responsibility for the alleged rocket launch.
On the other hand, the Palestinian Red Crescent reported that a pre-dawn raid by the Israeli army in Nablus, located in the occupied West Bank, resulted in the death of one person. This area has experienced near-constant violence in the past year. The Israeli army did not make any comment regarding the Nablus raid.
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This recent escalation of violence marks one of the deadliest periods in the region in recent years. So far this year, Israeli forces have killed at least 42 Palestinians, while ten people on the Israeli side have lost their lives.
On Sunday, Arab and Islamic leaders and senior officials warned that the Israeli actions in the occupied West Bank could escalate regional unrest as the violence between Israel and Palestinians continues.
President Mahmoud Abbas of Palestine described the situation faced by Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem as a “lethal assault.” He called on world leaders to intervene and end Israel’s actions.
He emphasized that the international community must take steps to protect the Palestinian people and halt Israeli aggression and unilateral actions. He made this appeal during a meeting of the Arab League.
President Abbas stated that “Israeli intransigence and practices have crossed all red lines.” Tensions were further escalated when Israel’s security cabinet announced on Saturday that it would legalize nine Jewish settlements in the West Bank in response to fatal Palestinian attacks in East Jerusalem, which Israel has annexed.
According to a statement from the security cabinet, several newly approved communities had existed for years or even decades. Still, they had not previously been recognized as legitimate by the Israeli government.
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concerns over settlement expansion during his trip to the region. Since the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel has been occupying the West Bank. Currently, approximately 475,000 Jewish settlers live in Palestinian territory, in communities considered illegal under international law.