Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza trade fire; 3 Palestinians killed in West Bank incidents

On Saturday, Islamic Jihad launched dozens more rockets as the Israeli military bombed Gaza Strip targets for a fifth day.

Palestinian missile shrapnel that hit an agricultural village in Israel’s southern Negev desert badly injured two Gazan workers in their 40s. Israeli medics reported a moderately injured 36-year-old. Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed 34 Palestinians, at least 14 of them civilians, according to Palestinian health officials. No casualties were reported Saturday. Over 147 wounded.

The Israeli soldiers attacked the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, igniting a gunfight that killed two Palestinians, highlighting the volatile condition in the occupied West Bank. Israeli police shot and killed a knife-wielding Palestinian suspect near Jenin.

The Israeli military struck Mohammed Abu Al Atta’s apartment and rocket launchers Saturday, dashing hopes for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Islamic Jihad militants fired rockets at southern Israel, where tens of thousands of Israelis were told to stay in safe rooms and bomb shelters. Hundreds of border people were moved to northern motels.

Islamic Jihad vowed more attacks. “As assassinations and the bombing of apartments and safe houses continue, the Palestinian resistance will renew its rocket fire… to emphasize the confrontation,” the group added. The Israeli civil defense agency shared footage of Palestinian militant mortar shells hitting the Erez crossing between Gaza and Israel.

Israeli authorities told media that Egyptian-led cease-fire negotiations were ongoing but that Israel has rejected Islamic Jihad’s terms. Israel has only responded to silence with quiet, while Islamic Jihad has been apparently pressuring Israel to stop targeted assassinations and other requests. “The strikes (on Gaza) will continue and intensify,” Israeli authorities told local media if Gaza rocket fire persists.

Israel assassinated three senior Islamic Jihad commanders on Tuesday for firing rockets towards the country last week. The first strikes killed at least 10 people, including women, children, and uninvolved neighbors, drawing regional outrage.

Israeli airstrikes have killed additional senior Islamic Jihad commanders and destroyed their command headquarters and rocket-launching sites in recent days. Israel murdered Islamic Jihad commander Iyad al-Hassani on Friday.

Palestinians assessed Israeli warplane wreckage on Saturday and salvaged what they could. One man meticulously rescued documents from the rubble. Another took a mattress.

Pre-dawn strikes destroyed four densely occupied residential dwellings. The Israeli military claimed the homes belonged to Islamic Jihad members. Residents questioned the army’s assertions and didn’t know why their homes were targeted.

“No rocket launch pads. Awni Obaid said, “This is a residential area,” standing next to his three-story house in Deir al-Balah.

Jehad Obaid’s adjoining house was also demolished. His flat was bombed from 100 meters distant.

The dust made him puke. “Extraordinary hatred. They say they don’t hit children, yet we see chaos, destruction.”

Islamic Jihad replied with 1,000 rockets to southern and central Israel. On Friday, the organization upped its attacks and fired rockets into Jerusalem, setting off air raid sirens in Israeli settlements south of the contested capital.

Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted most of the rockets. On Thursday, a rocket penetrated missile defenses and ripped through a house in central Rehovot, killing an 80-year-old woman and wounded several others.

According to Israeli military authorities, Hamas, the larger militant group that has ruled Gaza since 2007, has welcomed Islamic Jihad’s strikes but stayed on the sidelines, restricting the conflict.

Hamas, the de facto authority responsible for the appalling conditions in the blockaded Gaza Strip, has tried to keep its fight with Israel under wraps. However, Islamic Jihad, a more ideological and violent militant group, has led recent conflict with Israel.

The tragic Israeli raid on the Balata refugee camp on Saturday brought the tension back to the West Bank. Residents reported Israeli forces cornered a militant hideout, sharing footage of a big explosion and smoke from the crowded camp. Bullet casings littered alleys. Streets ran red. The Palestinian Health Ministry identified Said Mesha, 32, and Adnan Araj, 19. The raid, one of several daily Israeli arrests of suspected militants in the region, wounded at least three Palestinians.

The Israeli military claimed the apartment housed extremists who planned assaults on Israeli soldiers and made IEDs. Israeli security forces detonated explosives inside the bunker, causing the boom and flames. The military claimed Israeli forces fired on gunmen who were shooting at two Palestinians, killing them.

Israel’s most right-wing government has escalated West Bank conflict. According to The Associated Press, 111 Palestinians have been slain in the West Bank and east Jerusalem since the start of the year, at least half of them were militants. Since then, 20 Palestinians have slain Israelis.