Israeli planes bomb Hamas positions in Gaza as hostilities escalate | Israel

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The Israeli military said that Israeli planes bombed Hamas positions in Gaza late Saturday evening, in an escalation of hostilities after earlier cross-border fire seriously wounded an Israeli soldier and wounded 41 Palestinians, two of whom are seriously.

The casualties came during a protest in Gaza organized by the Strip’s Islamist rulers, Hamas and other factions in support of Jerusalem, where Palestinian clashes with Israeli police helped spark an 11-day conflict between Israel and Hamas in May.

The Israeli military said hundreds of Palestinians had gathered near the heavily fortified Gaza Strip border, with some trying to climb the border fence and others throwing explosives at Israeli forces. “IDF forces responded with riot dispersal means, including live ammunition when necessary,” a statement said.

Among the seriously wounded Palestinians was a 13-year-old boy who was shot in the head, the Gaza Health Ministry said. Most of the other injuries were described as moderate, including gunshot wounds to the extremities, back and abdomen.

The Israeli military said cross-border shooting from Gaza seriously wounded an Israeli Border Police soldier, who is in hospital receiving treatment. No one has claimed responsibility for the shooting in Gaza.

In response to the shooting of the soldier, the army said that “Israeli fighters bombed four sites for storing and manufacturing weapons belonging to Hamas.” There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

In preparation for more hostilities, the army said it had sent additional troops to the Gaza border area. Israeli media reported that the army has increased the deployment of the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

The violence comes on the heels of an Israeli announcement of the resumption of Qatari aid to Gaza, in a move seen as reinforcing the shaky Egypt-brokered truce in the fighting in May. Just days before this announcement, militants from Gaza fired a missile at Israel that was shot down by Iron Dome, in the first such attack since the armistice.

Palestinians also intermittently launched balloons loaded with fire towards Israel, which led to Israeli raids on Hamas-affiliated positions.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said Saturday’s air strikes showed that Israel was “trying to cover up its failure and disappointment in front of our people’s steadfastness and valiant resistance.”

At least 250 Palestinians and 13 people were killed in Israel in the May conflict, as militants from Gaza fired rockets at Israeli cities and Israel launched airstrikes across the coastal enclave.

Israel keeps Gaza under siege, severely restricting movement outside the strip of two million Palestinians. Egypt also imposes restrictions on the enclave. Both refer to threats from Hamas about restrictions.

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