At this stage, Israel has no casualties. No real negotiation for a cease-fire started on Saturday August 6 at the end of this second day of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
With our correspondent in Jerusalem, Michael Paul
For the first time since the start of the ongoing armed escalation with the Islamic Jihad group in Gaza, rocket warning sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv metropolis on Saturday afternoon. Until now, they had only sounded in localities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, from where the Islamic Jihad fires rockets in the direction of Israeli territory.
In a short statement, the armed wing of the Palestinian group, the Al-Quds brigades, confirms having fired “ a heavy barrage of rockets to the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Ashdod and Sderot, where a rocket struck a building head-on. In the port city of Ashkelon cars were also hit. Rockets also fell into the sea off the seaside town of Netanya.
At this stage, no way out of the crisis is in sight: the mediation traditionally carried out by the Egyptians does not work and the Israelis blame it on Islamic Jihad. “ The battle is only just beginning “Said Mohammed Al-Hindi, an official of the organization, in a press release.
An Israeli military spokesman assures that the army was preparing to a week-long operation ” and “ was not currently conducting ceasefire negotiations “. Gaza authorities reported 15 dead, including a five-year-old girl and one of Islamic Jihad’s top commanders, Tayssir Al-Jabari, and 125 injured in the Israeli shelling.
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International pressures
International pressure is exerted on Israel to allow the opening of the crossing point of Kerem Shalom this Sunday. Only a few hours, in particular, to allow fuel oil to be supplied to the Gaza power plant.
She ” has ceased (to function) due to a shortage of fuel, the electricity company said on Saturday, after the Jewish state, which has imposed a blockade on Gaza since 2007, sealed off border crossings in recent days, effectively interrupting diesel deliveries. Due to power cuts, the coming hours will be “ crucial and difficult warns the Ministry of Health in Gaza. The UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator (Ocha) in the Palestinian Territories, Lynn Hastings, calls for allowing the entry into the enclave of ” fuel, food and medical supplies “.
I am gravely concerned by the ongoing and serious escalation of violence in and around Gaza between Palestinian activists and Israel… See my full statement: https://t.co/4pVC6v0Kag
—Lynn Hastings (@LynnHastings) August 6, 2022
The European Union claims to follow with a ” deep concern the violence in the Gaza Strip and calls on all parties to a maximum restraint to avoid further escalation. For its part, Paris condemns the firing of rockets into Israeli territory and reiterates its unconditional commitment to Israel’s security “. The UK shows its support for Israel and his right to defend himself “and condemns” terrorist groups opening fire on civilians and violence that has resulted in casualties on both sides “.
Iran confirms support for Islamic Jihad
General Hossein Salami, the leader of the Revolutionary Guardsthe ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, claims that the Palestinians were not alone in their fight against Israel. “ Today, all jihad capabilities against the Zionists are on hand in united formation to work to liberate Jerusalem and uphold Palestinian rights “, writes in a press release the general, whose country is the main support of the Islamic Jihad. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, for his part, felt that Israel had ” once again shown to the world its nature of occupier and aggressor “.
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