Missile strikes, pogroms, dozens of dead: conflict is growing in Israel and the Gaza Strip

The conflict in Israel and the Gaza Strip is growing: Hamas militants have already fired more than a thousand missiles at Israel, the Israeli army is responding with airstrikes on Gaza, in Israel itself, local Arabs staged pogroms and arson in several places, a state of emergency was declared in the city of Lod, writes Air force.

Photo: Shutterstock

Israeli army spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters on the morning of Wednesday, May 12, that since the evening of Monday, May 10, more than a thousand rockets have already been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israeli cities. 850 of them either exploded on Israeli territory or were shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system, and about 200 more, according to Conricus, fell in the Gaza Strip itself.

Israel is responding with hundreds of missile and airstrikes. The Israeli military assures that they are hitting only on legitimate targets: the sites of missile launch and production, as well as the offices and other locations of Hamas representatives.

On both sides, according to the latest data, more than 40 people were killed: Hamas claims that 43 people died on their territory, including 13 children; in Israel, rockets killed 6 people, including a 16-year-old Arab girl.

The girl and her 52-year-old father were killed on Wednesday morning, 12 May, when a rocket from Gaza hit their car. The girl's mother is seriously injured.

There are at least 250 wounded on both sides.

Hamas is firing rockets not only at the Israeli cities closest to Gaza in the south of the country, but also at the center of Israel, including Tel Aviv.

Rockets by Hamas terrorists Vs Interceptors from Israel's Iron Dome (air defense system). pic.twitter.com/lsWW80fnzB

- Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) May 12, 2021

On Wednesday, May 12, on the border of the Gaza Strip, Palestinians hit a military jeep with an anti-tank missile. According to the Al-Jazeera TV channel, one Israeli soldier was killed and two were wounded. There are no confirmations or denials from the Israeli side yet.

Pogrom and state of emergency in Lod

Riots broke out in the city of Lod, 20 km from Tel Aviv and in some other places on Tuesday, May 11: according to Israeli press reports, local Arabs began burning cars and shops of Jews and smashing their homes.

The Israeli government declared a state of emergency in Lod and sent border police units there.

This is not Europe 1940, this is Israel 2021.

Arabs set on fire a Synagogue in Lod city. In this video you can see Jews rescuing Torah scrolls from the burned house of worship. Breaks my heart. ? #IsraelUnderAttack # Israel pic.twitter.com/k3TkDsmOuV

- Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) May 12, 2021

On Wednesday, May 12, Lod visited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu early in the morning and promised to restore order.

According to Israeli publications, in addition to Lod, riots in the past day were also in the cities of Ramla, where they set fire to a synagogue, Haifa and Akko, where they burned down a restaurant and a hotel.

The police have already detained about 160 Arabs, who are suspected of participating in the pogroms.

The day before, the Israeli army destroyed the second multi-story building in Gaza, in which, according to the military, a Hamas facility was located. This is the 12-story Al-Jawara building.

On the subject: Riots continue in Israel: hundreds of victims, fires and rockets from the Gaza Strip

In about an hour and a half, the military warned the civilians of the high-rise buildings and the surrounding area that they needed to urgently evacuate.

Prior to this, on Tuesday, May 11, Israeli planes destroyed the 13-story Burj Hanadi building in Gaza, where the offices of the Hamas movement were located.

Leaders of many countries and international organizations call on the parties to end the conflict.

The UN spokesman for the Middle East, Thor Vennesland, said the situation was slipping into full-scale war.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz says Israel's attacks on the enemy have just begun.

“We are delivering powerful strikes against terrorist organizations and will continue to strike them because they have decided to strike Israel. We will return peace and tranquility - for a long time,” said the Minister of Defense.

OPERATIONAL FOOTAGE: This is the moment we targeted a terrorist squad preparing to launch an explosive UAV from Gaza into Israel. pic.twitter.com/6adNZ5poRd

- Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 12, 2021

Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said that if Israel wants to escalate the conflict, then the organization is ready for this.

“And if he wants to stop, we are ready for that too. A new balance of power has emerged,” the Hamas leader said in a televised address.

The reason for a new outbreak of the long-term Arab-Israeli conflict was once again Jerusalem, a city sacred to Jews, Muslims, and Christians.

The last round of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians in the city began last week.

Riots initially erupted over an attempt by the Israeli authorities to evict several Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarr area of ​​East Jerusalem.

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Another reason for the protests was the decision of the city authorities to prevent Muslims from entering the Temple Mount during the Jerusalem Day procession, which was celebrated on Monday, May 10.

On the morning of that day, hundreds of Palestinians began throwing stones at members of the Israeli security forces. The police used flash bangs, tear gas and rubber bullets. As a result of the clashes, more than 300 people were injured.

Soon after, shelling began from Palestinian territory. The military wing of Hamas, the Al-Qassam Brigades, took responsibility for the missile attacks on Israel. The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad (an organization banned in Russia) also announced an attack on Israel.

Then the Israeli side began shelling and airstrikes.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• On the evening of May 7 in Jerusalem there were clashes between Palestinians and police... As a result, 205 Palestinians and 17 Israeli police officers were injured in the incident. The collision took place at the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. The situation escalated with the threat of eviction of Palestinian families from the eastern part of the city.
• Palestinians tried to throw stones at police. In response, they used rubber bullets and tear gas.
• The Al-Aqsa Mosque is one of the most revered shrines of Islam, located in the heart of old Jerusalem. There is also a sacred site for the Jews - the Temple Mount. This place is often a hotbed of conflict and violence.
• On May 10, the Israeli police, using tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets, faced Palestinians throwing stones, at a sacred site in Jerusalem, is a new episode in a series of clashes that threatened to push the contested city into wider conflict.

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