Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Israel’s new attack on the Gaza strip has entered its second day, as the Israeli army says it is preparing for a “week of operations” in the strip.
Israeli media quoted army spokesman Ran Kochav as saying that there will be no truce negotiations, and that the offensive will continue for at least one week.
An official in Gaza’s Islamic Jihad movement further confirmed that there have been no talks of mediation so far, telling Palestinian news sources that the situation is looking to escalate further.
Air strikes in the strip started yesterday, taking the lives of four Palestinians and leaving many others wounded, including a five-year-old.
A family of 10 reported having their house flattened this morning due to the attacks. “We are farmers. There are no fighters in the area,” Nadia Shamallakh, 65, told Al Jazeera.
The Gaza Strip’s sole power plant also said it will cease operations due to a lack of fuel, calling on all parties to urgently allow fuel shipments in.
With blockades from Egypt and Israel impeding the entry of fuel resources, Gaza’s more than 2 million residents have consistently faced regular power shortages.
The Islamic Jihad movement announced that it launched 60 missiles at Israel this morning in retaliation, calling their operation “Fields of Unity.”
Meanwhile, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry has called on parties to de-escalate and “protect lives and property,” while adding that it is conducting intensive communications to contain the situation.
The Arab League said it holds Israel responsible for the “dangerous escalation” against Palestinians, calling on the international community and the UN Security Council to “take immediate and effective action to stop this aggression.”
This is not the first time that Israel has launched such an offensive in Gaza, with military operations in the region being a semi-regular occurrence since the 2008 Gaza War.
This year saw elevated tensions between Israelis and Palestinians, as the occupation forces conducted raids on Al-Aqsa Mosque earlier this year and conducted increasingly frequent raids on Palestinian areas.
