The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they unfolded.
The Israel Defense Forces says it is launching strikes in the Gaza Strip.
In an English-language tweet, the military identifies the targets as alleged terror tunnels used by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
The IDF is currently striking Islamic Jihad terrorist organization tunnels in the Gaza Strip.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) August 7, 2022
Passengers are claiming that a United Airlines flight from the US’s Newark Airport to Israel has been delayed until tomorrow morning, citing an alleged “curfew” at Ben Gurion Airport due to the security situation.
Despite the operation in Gaza and rocket fire by terrorists not affecting flight plans at Ben Gurion at this time, witnesses have told Channel 12 news that airline crew informed the travelers that the pilot was “refusing” to take off due to a curfew.
The flight, originally planned to take off in the late afternoon on Saturday, has been delayed until 7 a.m. on Sunday.
“I was waiting for the UA84 flight with my kids… but there was a feeling that something wasn’t okay since boarding began, but was slow,” passenger Gil Eyal tells Channel 12. “Suddenly, the United representative announced that the flight was canceled. She stressed that the reason was that the crew was refusing to take off.”
Eyal says he then corresponded on Twitter with United, which claimed the delay was due to a “curfew at Tel Aviv airport and security fears.”
Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez becomes one of the first US lawmakers to express his support for Israel since the IDF’s launching of Operation Breaking Dawn against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel has every right to self-defense from Iranian-backed terrorists committed to annihilating the State of Israel, including Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). They must immediately stop their indiscriminate rocket attacks into Israel,” Menendez says.
Menendez has long been one of the most ardent Israel supporters in the Democratic party, but he’s also become gradually more critical of the Jewish state’s conduct, calling for a ceasefire early on during the May 2021 Gaza war and demanding greater US involvement in the probe into the killing of Palestinian-American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh last May.
In his latest statement, Menendez offers his condolences “to the families of the innocent whose lives have been lost as a result of the escalation in Gaza.” The Hamas-run health ministry in the enclave has reported 15 death, and Israel claims the majority were terror operatives, but the victims also include a five-year-old girl killed in one of the first airstrikes that began the operation on Friday afternoon.
“All efforts should be made to avoid any further civilian loss inside Gaza and ensure the continued provision of humanitarian aid,” Menendez says. ” I greatly appreciate ongoing efforts by the UN and regional partners to find ways to deescalate and reduce tensions.”
“As I always have, I remain committed to ensuring Israel has the support it needs to protect civilian lives, including through full support of the Iron Dome.”
Further demonstrating his solidarity with Israel, Menendez says, “the malicious ideologies attacking Israel undermine US interests in the region and demand our constant vigilance.”
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi condemns Israel’s operation in Gaza as an “aggression,” tweeting that he has discussed the matter with UN Mideast envoy Tor Wennesland.
Discussed efforts to stop Israeli aggression on #Gaza with UN envoy @TWennesland. We condemn this aggression & urge effective Int’l effort to stop it, end escalation & provide protection to Gazans. Escalation will only lead to more vicious violence that will hurt all all. 1/2
— Ayman Safadi (@AymanHsafadi) August 6, 2022
He also stresses that Israeli “provocations” should be prevented at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount tomorrow, as Jews mark Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the temples believed to have stood at the site.
Also stressed to UN envoy @TWennesland urgency of preventing any Israeli provocations at #AlAqsa tomorrow to avoid further escalation. Historical & legal status quo must be respected. Ending escalation & restoring calm must be a global priority. It is in the interest of all 2/2
— Ayman Safadi (@AymanHsafadi) August 6, 2022
An Israeli man in his 60s has been lightly injured after suspected Palestinian assailants threw rocks at his car on Route 5, near the West Bank settlement of Ariel, according to Hebrew media.
The man has been taken to Beilinson hospital in Petah Tikva, suffering from an eye injury caused by glass shards.
Palestinian media reports that Israeli forces have arrested Nasr Amour, a prominent Palestinian Islamic Jihad operative in the West Bank.
The reports say Amour has been detained at his hometown of Anzah, south of Jenin.
After a lull of about three hours, rocket sirens blare in southern Israeli communities.
The alarms sound in Sderot, Nir Am, Ibim and Re’im.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s international spokesperson, Keren Hajioff, releases an English-language video statement stressing that an explosion that killed several Gazans tonight, including children, was caused by a rocket fired by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group that misfired and landed inside the Strip.
“Tonight, Islamic Jihad terrorists fired a rocket towards Israel which fell short inside Gaza, hitting a Palestinian home in the Jabaliya neighborhood and tragically killing at least four children,” she says. “There is video documenting the entire thing. There was no Israeli activity in the Gaza Strip, in that area or at that time.
“Islamic Jihad is killing Palestinian children in Gaza. One in four rockets fired from Gaza towards Israel – lands inside the Gaza Strip,” Hajioff adds. “The world should be outraged at this terrorist group targeting innocent Israelis and killing innocent Gazans. Israel will continue to stand up to this vicious terrorist organization – which threatens Israelis and Palestinians alike.”
Tonight, Islamic Jihad terrorists in Gaza fired a rocket towards Israeli children, but ended up killing Gazan children instead.
This is the truth about what happened ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/sLVLWlU0tS
— Keren Hajioff (@kerenhajioff) August 6, 2022
After almost two hours, the security cabinet meeting in Tel Aviv has ended, Hebrew media reports.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Yair Lapid updated cabinet ministers and top security officials on Operation Breaking Dawn in Gaza.
The head of the military’s Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk says according to “all available information,” Israel has killed the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s top brass.
“This organization tried to carry out a deadly attack against Israeli citizens and IDF soldiers by launching an anti-tank guided missile, to kill civilians and soldiers,” Basiuk says in a press conference.
“We hit and foiled the chain [who sought to] execute this attack,” he says, referring to the assassination of Tayseer Jabari, the commander of the terror group in northern Gaza, and Khaled Mansour, the equivalent in southern Gaza.
Jabari was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday afternoon, and Mansour several hours ago.
“According to all the information we have, [Mansour] was [struck] along with others,” he says.
“The entire top brass of the PIJ military wing in Gaza were [struck],” Basiuk says.
The death toll from the latest violence in the Gaza Strip has risen to 24, including six children, Hamas health authorities say, but Israel denies conducting a new strike that reportedly killed minors.
Gaza’s health ministry blames “Israeli aggression” for the deaths, and for the 203 people wounded.
Israel denies blame for a strike in Jabaliya that reportedly killed seven people, including four children.
On the eve of the Tisha B’Av fast day, President Isaac Herzog says it is a night of “mixed feelings.”
He says that while services were “very moving” for him, at the same time “Israeli citizens are under attack.”
“Our soldiers and members of the defense establishment are at every site, guarding and protecting us,” Herzog says from a synagogue in Ramat Hasharon.
“From here I will also ask all citizens to adhere to the instructions of the Home Front Command. That’s the only way we can save lives and win the battle,” he says.
An explosion that rocked the Jabaliya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, killing at least four children, was a failed Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket launch, officials say.
According to a military official, the Israel Defense Forces did not conduct any airstrike in the area at the time of the blast.
The official says the IDF detected the launch on its radar systems and saw it land in the area.
“We have videos that prove beyond any doubt that this is not an Israeli attack. It has been unequivocally proven that it was a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch,” another Israeli official says.
According to the IDF, some 90 rockets fell short in the Gaza Strip since Friday.
مشاهد من مكان قصف الاحتلال الأخير قرب مسجد عماد عقل في جباليا شمال قطاع غزة حيث ارتقى عدد من الشهداء والجرحى pic.twitter.com/pFPLV1BrR3
The Israel Defense Forces struck and killed a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, officials say.
Khaled Mansour was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the city of Rafah.
He is the southern Gaza equivalent of Tayseer Jabari, the terror group’s commander in northern Gaza, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday.
Mansour also sought to commit an anti-tank guided missile attack on the Israeli border, and he is responsible for many rocket attacks on Israel, according to officials.
#BREAKING #Israel says it has killed Khaled Mansur, the Islamic Jihad leader in southern #Gaza pic.twitter.com/gp4v2cH36P
— Guy Elster (@guyelster) August 6, 2022
An official tells reporters that Israel believes an explosion in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip that killed at least four children, was a failed rocket launch.
According to the official, the last Israeli airstrike in the area was some two hours before the deadly explosion, but the Israel Defense Forces will look into the incident regardless.
Palestinian media reports say seven people are killed in the strike, of which four are children aged 9-11. A fifth victim is 19 years old, the reports say.
Rocket sirens sound in several towns in southern Israel, some near the coastal city of Ashdod.
22:03: Erez, Givati, Ezer, Emunim, Nitzanim, Sdeh Uziahu, Ad Halom Industrial Zone, Beit Ezra, Beit Shikma, Talmei Yaffe, Ge'a, Berekhya, Hodaya, Nir Israel
Sent via @CumtaAlertsEng pic.twitter.com/lw2mwrn4kf
— Red Alerts – Cumta (@CumtaAlertsEng) August 6, 2022
Initial reports say several incoming projectiles are intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Some 350 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid is holding an assessment on the escalation of violence in the Gaza Strip before the high-level security convenes later this evening, his office says.
A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed near a factory in Sderot, causing damage.
Police say sappers have safely removed a large piece of shrapnel from the area.
A rocket landed outside a factory in Sderot. No injuries. pic.twitter.com/yVrFR443fR
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
Palestinian media reports say at least seven people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip.
The reports say at least three of the deaths are children. Images circulated online show the bodies of the children who were allegedly killed in the strike.
Israeli officials have not commented on the incident yet.
Update: Israel says Gaza terrorists’ failed rocket launch kills several Palestinian children; Israeli officials say Israel has ‘unequivocal’ video, radar proof it was rocket misfire
The Israel Defense Forces says it has launched a new wave of airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF says more details will be published later.
Palestinian media, citing preliminary reports, says several people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Jabaliya in the northern Gaza Strip.
Some reports say five people have been killed, and several others are seriously hurt.
The reports are not verified by health officials in the Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces says it has been targeting the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group across Gaza.
Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman says Israel will only end its military campaign against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip if the terror group stops its rocket attacks on Israel.
“If Jihad announces that it is stopping to fire, we’ll also stop fire,” Liberman tells Channel 12 news.
Regarding the terror group’s leader in northern Gaza, killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday, Liberman says he was “not only a ticking bomb but he operated ticking bombs — several cells with explosives moving around the border area. There was no choice but to act [against him].”
Liberman says there are limitations on what a caretaker government can do, and it did the minimum — stopping a ticking bomb.
“I’m not sure what’s going on with PIJ. Its leader is in Iran and this is a crucial week for Iran with respect to the [nuclear deal] with the world powers,” he says.
“We’re certainly not looking for war or confrontation, but we’re not prepared to live under anybody’s threats. I hope that message has been clearly heard,” he added.
Rocket sirens sound in the cities of Ashdod, Ashkelon, Sderot, and other towns closer to the border with the Gaza Strip.
Initial reports say multiple incoming projectiles are intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Some 350 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
Video of interception over southern Israel. pic.twitter.com/Zvdq9iK3qg
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
A former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate says he doesn’t expect a ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad before the Tisha B’Av fast day, which begins tonight and lasts through Sunday evening.
I’d be surprised if PIJ misses the opportunity, tomorrow, on Tisha B’Av, to fire on Jerusalem — so I don’t expect a ceasefire before then, Amos Yadlin tells Channel 12 news.
“Most of the achievements [of this conflict] are already behind us.” So, Israel shouldn’t be asking for a ceasefire, but should be open to one, he says.
Yadlin says that the longer it goes on, the harder the mission of only hitting PIJ, and the greater the risk of something going wrong.
Israel has said it is focused only on targeting PIJ, and not Gaza’s rulers, Hamas.
Rocket sirens sound in the cities of Netivot and Sderot, and other towns near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Initial reports say several incoming projectiles are intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Some 350 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
The chief of the military’s Gaza Division in an interview with Channel 12 news says the IDF has “many” more Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets to hit.
“I see no reason to change the operational plan,” says Brig. Gen. Nimrod Aloni.
“This is an operation against PIJ — It’s been clear that we are focused on PIJ, at no stage was Hamas part of the picture,” he says. “Hamas also chose, wisely, I’d say, not to get involved.”
Asked about when the operation will end, Aloni said “whenever it is decided by the political echelon, we’ll of course stop.”
“Already at this stage, the moral and certainly the physical blow to PIJ, which thought it could get away with threatening the Gaza envelope area — the blow to commanders and activists, that it wasn’t ready for — already at this stage has heavily influenced the group and will complicate its activities in the future,” Aloni says.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid is holding an assessment regarding the violence in the Gaza Strip with military and defense officials at the Israel Defense Forces’ headquarters in Tel Aviv, his office says.
Security camera footage shows a rocket impact in the coastal city of Ashkelon earlier.
Two cars were damaged, and there were no physical injuries.
Footage shows the earlier rocket impact in Ashkelon pic.twitter.com/FhPKxQpVpC
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
The latest Israel Defense Forces data put the number of rockets and mortars launched toward Israel by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group since Friday at 350, downgrading an earlier assessment of 361 rockets.
Of them, 94 fell short in the Gaza Strip and another 29 fell into the Mediterranean Sea, including two off Tel Aviv, according to the latest data, which is as of 6:30 p.m.
The Iron Dome air defense system has intercepted 162 projectiles, according to the data.
The military says the Iron Dome missile defense system has demonstrated a 95.9 percent success rate at intercepting projectiles fired toward populated areas.
Earlier today, a factory in a town close to the border and a home in Sderot were hit by rocket attacks. Three people, including two soldiers, were also lightly hurt in a separate mortar bombardment near a town in the Eshkol Regional Council.
The Israel Defense Forces publishes a new video of the airstrike that killed Tayseer Jabari, a senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad official in the Gaza Strip yesterday.
Jabari was the commander of the terror group in northern Gaza. Officials said he was planning to attack Israeli civilians near the border.
סיכול מפקד מרחב הצפון של ארגון הג׳יהאד האיסלמי פלסטיני, תייסיר ג׳עברי אתמול: pic.twitter.com/N3jTwPrlvh
Rocket sirens sound in towns close to the border with the Gaza Strip.
Initial reports say at least one incoming projectile is intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage in the latest wave of rocket attacks.
Earlier, a small fire sparked in the Eshkol Regional Council after mortar impact in the area, according to officials.
Nearly 400 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
Mansour Abbas secures another term leading Ra’am, as the party’s umbrella movement — the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement — approves his leadership with 85% of support from voting members of the Movement’s general assembly.
Lawmakers Walid Taha and Iman Khatib-Yasin also secure their second and fourth spots on Ra’am’s Knesset list, respectively. Taha carried 92% of the vote and Khatib-Yasin 82%.
Earlier in the evening, Ra’am’s Knesset faction director Waleed Alhawashla clinched the party’s third spot.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group launched four rockets from the Gaza Strip at Tel Aviv earlier.
According to military assessments, two were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system over the central city of Bat Yam, and the other two fell into the sea.
Security forces are attempting to locate the two rockets that landed off the coast, for analysis.
There were no injuries reported in the attack on central Israel.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it has evacuated 21 people to hospitals since the beginning of fighting between the Israeli military and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
MDA says medics treated two people who were lightly hurt by rocket shrapnel, 13 after falling while running to shelter, and six for anxiety.
Several other people were treated after falling over and for anxiety, but did not require hospitalization, MDA says.
Military chief Aviv Kohavi says Israel will strike Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and other areas, amid the current round of fighting against the terror group.
During a visit to the Southern Command, Kohavi says the IDF has two main goals.
“One is to prevent all attacks, and two, to critically attack the Islamic Jihad organization, here, in Judea and Samaria, and all other sectors,” Kohavi says.
“We will not allow any organization in any arena to harm the sovereignty of the State of Israel,” he adds.
Earlier, Defense Minister Gantz threatened the leaders of Islamic Jihad, which he said are based in Syria, Lebanon, and Iran.
Several cars in the southern city of Ashkelon are damaged after a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip impacted nearby.
The municipality says police sappers are safely removing a large piece of shrapnel.
There are no reports of injuries in the attack.
Rocket impact in Ashkelon, no injuries. pic.twitter.com/nF0WrK4mI9
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
Rocket sirens sound in the southern part of Tel Aviv and the central cities of Rishon Lezion and Holon, for the first time since violence escalated between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group on Friday.
According to initial reports, some of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, and others landed in open areas.
Shortly before, sirens also sounded in Ashkelon, Sderot, and other towns near the border with the Gaza Strip. Initial reports say several projectiles are intercepted.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage in either attack.
Nearly 400 rockets and mortars are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
Waleed Alhawashla, Ra’am’s Knesset faction director, secures the third spot on the party’s candidate list, approved with 63% of the vote in Saturday’s limited party primary.
Ra’am is the party of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement, and its first four spots are set to be chosen today by the 500-odd members of the Movement’s general assembly. Alhawashla also chairs the general assembly.
Party chief Mansour Abbas is running unopposed to hold onto the top seat, while lawmakers Walid Taha and Iman Khatib-Yasin are also uncontested for the second and fourth spots, respectively. The three are expected to be approved later today.
The remainder of Ra’am’s Knesset list is expected to be determined at a later date.
LONDON — Britain calls for a “swift end” to the violence in the Gaza Strip.
“The UK stands by Israel and its right to defend itself,” Foreign Secretary Liz Truss says on Twitter.
“We condemn terrorist groups firing at civilians and violence which has resulted in casualties on both sides.”
“We call for a swift end to the violence,” she says.
MK Sami Abu Shehadeh retains his role as the leader of Balad, one of the three constituent parties in the Knesset’s Joint List faction, after a party panel re-elected him in a modified primary.
Abu Shehadeh stepped into his role in 2021, and is the only Balad lawmaker currently in the Knesset.
Considered a left-wing Arab party, Balad’s party platform supports molding Israel into a “state of all its citizens,” rather than a state with a deliberate Jewish character.
“We come out united behind elected leadership to continue on our path and to build a project for all citizens,” Abu Shehadeh tweeted, thanking the hundreds of participating voters for their efforts.
The remainder of the Balad list is not immediately available.
The latest Israel Defense Forces data put the number of rockets launched toward Israel by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group at 361.
Of them, 70 fell short in the Gaza Strip, according to the latest data, which is as of 4 p.m.
The military says the Iron Dome missile defense system has demonstrated a 95 percent success rate at intercepting projectiles fired toward populated areas.
Earlier today, a factory in a town close to the border and a home in Sderot were hit by rocket attacks. Three people, including two soldiers, were also lightly hurt in a separate mortar bombardment near a town in the Eshkol Regional Council.
The Israel Defense Forces says it struck three Palestinian Islamic Jihad mortar launchers in the Gaza Strip, used to attack towns along the border.
The strikes were made by an armed drone.
IDF video of drone strike against three mortar launchers pic.twitter.com/u6yk3JqJ0I
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
Below are guidelines from the military’s Home Front Command in the event of a rocket attack:
Enter a protected space that can be reached within the time available, based on the following priorities:
Rocket sirens sound in the coastal city of Ashkelon. Initial reports say at least one incoming projectile is intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
Meanwhile, sirens also sound in the city of Netivot, some 10 kilometers from the Gaza Strip, and other closer border towns.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage in the latest wave of rocket attacks.
Over 200 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz issues a threat to the leaders of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, who are not in the Gaza Strip.
“The leadership of Islamic Jihad, who sit abroad in restaurants and stay in hotels in Tehran, Syria, and Lebanon, are disconnected from their people,” Gantz says during a tour of an Iron Dome air defense battery in southern Israel.
He says the leaders are “seriously harming” the livelihoods of Gaza residents amid the current escalation of violence, and “they will also pay the bill.”
Gantz also says Israel has foiled “many terrorists who are planning to launch rockets” at Israel.
The Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon says it has treated 20 people so far amid Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket attacks on southern Israel.
The hospital says it has treated 15 people who were lightly hurt after falling over while running to bomb shelters.
A further five people have been treated for anxiety.
Three people have also been taken to other hospitals with shrapnel wounds.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid holds a phone call with mayors and leaders of communities of towns near the border with the Gaza Strip, his office says.
According to the Prime Minister’s Office, Lapid updated the officials on the military’s operation in the Gaza Strip, and requested that they instruct residents to follow the Home Front Command’s guidelines.
Lapid hears from the officials about their requests amid the escalation of violence, the PMO says.
Separately, Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman says he is holding an emergency meeting in order to examine and implement immediate aid to Israeli victims.
Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza border city of Sderot and other nearby towns.
Initial reports say four incoming projectiles are intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Over 200 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
Russia calls for “maximum restraint” in the Gaza Strip amid escalating violence between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group
“We are observing with profound worry how events are evolving,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says in a statement, adding that Moscow is calling “on all the parties involved to show maximum restraint.”
“The new escalation was caused by Israeli army firing into the Gaza Strip on August 5, to which Palestinian groups responded by carrying out massive and indiscriminate bombardments on Israeli territory,” she says.
Palestinian media is reporting a new series of Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
Several people are hurt in an airstrike in the northern Gaza city of Beit Hanoun, the reports say.
A number of sites are also hit near the southern city of Khan Younis.
The Israel Defense Forces has said it is targeting Palestinian Islamic Jihad sites and operatives throughout the coastal enclave.
تغطية صحفية: "لحظة نقل عدة إصابات جرّاء قصف الاحتلال في #بيت_حانون". pic.twitter.com/PSQGqmOdAx
Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza border town of Be’eri.
Initial reports say one incoming projectile was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Over 200 rockets are estimated to have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says 15 people have been killed and 125 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the enclave which began yesterday.
The officials do not say how many of those killed were terror group operatives.
The ministry says a 5-year-old girl is among the dead.
Also among those killed is Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s northern Gaza commander Tayseer Jabari, who was targeted in a strike on his apartment on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces says the senior terror leader was targeted when it became clear that an attack he orchestrated was to take place imminently.
The Israel Defense Forces says a number of operatives from PIJ are among those killed in the multiple waves of strikes that have been targeting positions and facilities belonging to the terror group in the Gaza Strip.
Terrorists have fired over 200 rockets toward Israel since yesterday afternoon, according to estimates.
Earlier, a suspected infiltration alarm sounded in the West Bank settlement of Elazar.
Local authorities say the all-clear order is given, and residents can now leave their homes.
The Israeli military says the alert was a false alarm.
The Israel Defense Forces says it struck two weapon storage sites in the Gaza Strip, which were situated within the homes of Palestinian Islamic Jihad navy operatives.
The IDF says the weapons stored in the homes are also related to the terror group’s naval forces.
Earlier, Palestinian media reported that a five-story building in Gaza City was hit in an airstrike.
The Israel Defense Forces says it struck four Palestinian Islamic Jihad observation posts on the Gaza border.
Some were struck by combat helicopters, and others by the elite Maglan unit launching guided missiles.
Earlier the IDF said it hit 7 PIJ observation sites.
pic.twitter.com/GDntxA1iT8
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group rejects an Egyptian proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Israel, the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Mayadeen TV reports.
“Now is the time to respond to the crimes of the occupation,” a PIJ source tells Al-Mayadeen.
The response came after Egyptian negotiators proposed a pause in hostilities to create an opportunity for a longer-lasting ceasefire to be negotiated.
The response from the Iran-backed terror group comes as Operation Breaking Dawn nears its 24-hour mark.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid has invited Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu for a security briefing on Sunday, the prime minister’s office says.
According to Channel 12 news, Netanyahu has agreed to the meeting. Army Radio, however, says he has yet to respond.
The two have been divided over how the opposition leader will receive updates on Israel’s security situations, with Netanyahu apparently reluctant to be photographed receiving a briefing from Lapid.
A suspected infiltration alert has been activated in the West Bank settlement of Elazar.
Residents are asked to remain home and lock their doors and windows while soldiers carry out sweeps in the area.
Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza border town of Netiv HaAsara.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The warning comes shortly after a rocket hit a family home in the nearby town of Sderot. The family had entered the reinforced area of their home and there were no injuries.
Earlier on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said at least 160 rockets have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon. However, dozens more have been launched from Gaza since that update.
Egyptian negotiators have proposed a temporary ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group, Channel 13 news reports.
According to the report, the pause in hostilities would be an opportunity for a longer-lasting ceasefire to be negotiated.
The report does not say if either side is open to the proposal.
The proposal comes as Operation Breaking Dawn nears its 24-hour mark.
The military operation began Friday afternoon when the Israel Defense Forces launched strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip in response to what officials said was an ongoing “concrete” threat to target Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Islamic Jihad then began to fire relentless barrages of rockets at Israeli communities in southern and central Israel.
A rocket launched from the Gaza Strip has hit a home in the southern city of Sderot, the municipality says.
The family was in their reinforced room at the time of the impact, and as a result there were no injuries.
The southern town has been targeted by multiple barrages of rockets fired from Gaza since Friday afternoon.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says 13 people have been killed and 114 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the enclave which began yesterday.
The officials do not say how many of those killed were terror group operatives.
The ministry says a 5-year-old girl is among the dead.
Also among those killed is Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s northern Gaza commander Tayseer Jabari, who was targeted in a strike on his apartment on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces says the senior terror leader was targeted when it became clear that an attack he orchestrated was to take place imminently.
The Israel Defense Forces says a number of operatives from PIJ are among those killed in the multiple waves of strikes which have been targeting positions and facilities belonging to the terror group in the Gaza Strip.
Terrorists have fired over 200 rockets toward Israel since yesterday afternoon, according to estimates.
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas makes his first public comments on the current round of violence, saying that his Islamist party does not influence security decisions made by the government.
“We are opposed to any war in which there are innocent victims, but we have no influence on military operations,” Abbas tells Channel 12 news.
“We are in the Knesset to work for Arab society, and not to influence the foreign and security policy of the State of Israel,” he says.
The Israel Defense Forces says tanks and special forces are striking more Palestinian Islamic Jihad observation posts along the Gaza border.
The IDF says seven posts have been hit since this morning.
Meanwhile, the IDF says it struck an Islamic Jihad training site, a weapons warehouse in Khan Yunis, and a military complex in Gaza City which was used by PIJ’s naval force for training purposes and storage.
“The attack on the sites [causes] significant damage to the terror organization’s ability to develop military capabilities,” the IDF says.
Rocket sirens sound in the southern cities of Ashkelon of Ashdod, as well as the town of Sderot and a number of Gaza border communities as a barrage of projectiles is fired from the Strip.
Missile defense systems intercept at least two projectiles.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Earlier on Saturday the Israel Defense Forces said at least 160 rockets have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon, however dozens more have been launched from Gaza since that update.
Palestinian media reports say a five-story building in Gaza City has been struck by Israeli fighter jets.
The airstrike comes after a “knock on roof” warning drone strike, aimed at allowing people in the building to flee, the reports say.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Reported video of the strike pic.twitter.com/WyLxPu2iRo
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
Israel has said it is carrying out strikes on targets linked to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said earlier that 11 people have been killed and 80 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the enclave which began yesterday. The ministry says a 5-year-old girl is among the dead.
After a brief lull, rocket sirens sound once around in the southern town of Sderot and a number of Gaza border communities.
Missile defense systems intercept a number of projectiles.
There are no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
Earlier on Saturday the Israel Defense Forces said at least 160 rockets have been fired at Israel since Friday afternoon, however dozens more have been launched from Gaza since that update.
A pre-season friendly soccer game between Juventus and Atletico Madrid is cancelled.
The game between the Italian and Spanish teams had been set to take place on Sunday evening at Tel Aviv’s Bloomfield Stadium.
The match has been scrapped “due to the current security situation,” the Spanish club says in a statement.
While Tel Aviv has not been targeted since the current round of fighting began on Friday afternoon, sirens have sounded in the suburbs of Holon and Bat Yam.
On Friday, the Tel Aviv municipality opened the city’s bomb shelters.
The majority of projectiles fired Saturday have targeted southern towns, but rockets were fired at the central city of Modiin around noon.
It was not clear if Islamic Jihad had limited capabilities for major attacks on more distant cities after Israel’s airstrikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip, or if it had made a conscious decision not to escalate further.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid is convening the top-level security cabinet this evening, his office says in a statement.
The officials are set to meet at 10:30 p.m. at the military’s headquarters in Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister’s Office says.
The announcement of the meeting comes approximately 20 hours into Operation Breaking Dawn, which began Friday afternoon when the Israel Defense Forces launched strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip in response to what officials said was an ongoing “concrete” threat to target Israeli civilians and soldiers.
Islamic Jihad then began to fire relentless barrages of rockets at Israeli communities in southern and central Israel.
A factory in a town close to the border with the Gaza Strip was damaged by a direct rocket impact earlier in the day, officials say.
The Fire and Rescue Service says it has extinguished a blaze caused by the rocket attack.
There were no injuries in the strike.
The Israel Defense Forces publishes new footage of it striking Palestinian Islamic Jihad observation posts in the Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel.
The first video shows the elite Maglan unit launching a guided missile at a post, and the second shows a combat helicopter striking several sites.
IDF publishes a video of the Maglan unit striking a PIJ observation post on the Gaza border pic.twitter.com/ti4KWC9KmX
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) August 6, 2022
צה״ל ממשיך לתקוף מטרות גא״פ ברצועת עזה.https://t.co/KuMm5Pq1br pic.twitter.com/TakFMMxiUF
— Israeli Air Force (@IAFsite) August 6, 2022
Fresh rocket sirens sound in the southern city of Sderot and multiple other towns near the border with the Gaza Strip.
According to initial reports, the Iron Dome air defense system intercepted several projectiles.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Israel Defense Forces says combat helicopters struck three Palestinian Islamic Jihad observation posts along the Gaza border.
An earlier drone alert in Kibbutz Nahal Oz has been removed, indicating that the UAV was either intercepted or returned to the Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces confirms that the two people wounded in a rocket attack in Nirim earlier are soldiers.
The pair, sappers, have been taken to a hospital in light condition, with apparent shrapnel injuries.
The two were injured when they went to remove a projectile that lightly hurt another man earlier, and were unable to reach shelter when there was a second round of fire.
Sirens sound in a number of Gaza border communities as a barrage of projectiles is fired toward Israel by Gaza-based terrorists.
There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
An incoming drone alert has been activated in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, on the border with the Gaza Strip.
This is the first suspected drone attack since the Israeli military launched Operation Breaking Dawn against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Friday.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid and Defense Minister Benny Gantz held an assessment on the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
“The prime minister and the defense minister discussed the progress of Operation Breaking Dawn, and the continuation of the planned activity,” a statement from Lapid’s office says.
The pair will hold another meeting later today at the IDF’s headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The Israel Defense Forces says the elite Egoz commando unit struck a Palestinian Islamic Jihad observation post along the border with the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the coastal city of Ashdod.
Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the central city of Modiin and other nearby towns, as the range of Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket fire appears to expand.
There are reports of interceptions in the skies above Modiin by the Iron Dome missile defense system.
The sounds of explosions is heard across central Israel.
This is the first time sirens have sounded in that area since the start of Operation Breaking Dawn on Friday afternoon.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Palestinian media is reporting new Israeli airstrikes on targets in the Gaza Strip.
According to reports, a site in the Sheikh Ijlin neighborhood of Gaza City has been hit by Israeli jets, and a military site in the Tuffah district was hit by a drone.
Footage from Sheikh Ijlin shows smoke rising from the area.
تغطية صحفية: "طائرات الاحتلال تقصـــف منطقة الشيخ عجلين للمرة الثالثة جنوب مدينة #غزة". pic.twitter.com/XmK1TkhKGP
The Israel Defense Forces has said it is targeting terrorists and sites connected to Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Israeli towns close to the border with Gaza are now coming under fire every few minutes.
Sirens sound in Nahal Oz and Alumim with no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Two people are lightly injured by shrapnel during a rocket attack on an Israeli community close to the border with the Gaza Strip.
According to Channel 13 news, the two were injured as they went to help a person hurt by an earlier rocket, when a second projectile was fired at the same area by terrorists in the Gaza Strip.
The two did not have time to reach a protected area and were hit by shrapnel — it was unclear if they were hurt by the projectile itself or as a result of an interception by a missile defense system.
The two received medical attention on the scene.
The individual injured earlier, a man in his 30s, has been taken to Beersheba’s Soroka Hospital for treatment.
Sirens sound in Nahal Oz and Alumim, two communities located close to the border with Gaza.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
Sirens wail in the southern town of Sderot and a number of Gaza border communities.
At least one projectile is intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system in the skies above Sderot.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the second barrage fired within a number of minutes.
Sirens wail in the Gaza border communities of Nirim and Nir Oz.
The alerts bring an end to a brief hour-long lull in the barrages.
There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The projectiles are fired at Israel shortly after the IDF announces it has renewed strikes on Palestinian Jihad terror targets in the Gaza Strip and after Defense Minister Benny Gantz says he instructed the military to continue operations against the terror group.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz instructs the military to continue offensive actions against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in the Gaza Strip, his office says.
Gantz held an assessment with the chief of the Israel Defense Forces, Aviv Kohavi, and other senior military and defense officials this morning.
“The Defense Ministers directed the continuation of offensive efforts against Islamic Jihad, with an emphasis on operations to thwart rocket fire at Israel,” a statement says.
Gantz also instructs to provide assistance to residents of the south who have been under rocket attacks since last night, according to his office.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip says 11 people have been killed and 80 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on the enclave which began yesterday.
The ministry says a 5-year-old girl is among the dead.
Also among those killed is Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s northern Gaza commander Tayseer Jabari, who was targeted in a strike on his apartment on Friday. The Israel Defense Forces says the senior terror leader was targeted when it became clear that an attack he orchestrated was to take place imminently.
The Israel Defense Forces says a number of operatives from PIJ are among those killed in the multiple waves of strikes which have been targeting positions and facilities belonging to the terror group in the Gaza Strip.
Terrorists have fired at least 160 rockets toward Israel since yesterday afternoon.
The Israel Defense Forces says it has launched a new wave of airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.
The IDF says more details will be published later.
#صورة للقصف الذي أستهدف موقع لسرايا القدس غرب #غزة، قبل قليل pic.twitter.com/wABe2Eih9N
A barrage of projectiles is fired at a number of Israeli towns close to the border with the Gaza Strip.
Sirens sound in Nir Am, Sderot and Mefalsim.
According to reports, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepts a number of projectiles fired at Sderot.
The barrage comes shortly after the most recent wave of Israel Defense Forces strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip.
The Israel Defense Forces confirms Palestinian reports of a drone strike in Gaza City.
The IDF says it hit a Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror cell en route to launch mortars at towns in southern Israel.
According to Palestinian reports, the strike targeted at least one motorcyclist.
The Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon says it has treated 13 people so far amid Palestinian Islamic Jihad rocket attacks on southern Israel.
The hospital says it has treated eight people who were lightly hurt after falling over while running to bomb shelters, seven of whom have already been released.
A further five people have been treated for anxiety.
An Israeli airstrike near Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip has killed at least one person, according to Palestinian media reports.
At least two others are wounded in the strike, the reports say.
Meanwhile, another airstrike has targeted a motorcyclist in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gaza City, local media says.
The Israel Defense Forces has not yet commented on the apparent new wave of airstrikes against Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group.
One person is very lightly injured after a rocket lands in an Israeli town in the Eshkol Regional Council area.
According to local authorities, the rocket lands near a cowshed.
The community is not named, apparently due to concerns it could aid terror groups with their targeting.
It marks the first rocket that lands within that local council’s jurisdiction since the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group began launching rockets at Israel last night.
Sirens sound in the Gaza border communities of Kissufim and Ein HaShlosha.
There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
Multiple families from the towns closest to the border have left their homes for a few days as the violence continues.
A fresh round of sirens are heard in the town of Sderot and a number of Gaza border communities.
At least one rocket is intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system above Sderot. A number of other projectiles appear to have fallen in open areas.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Israel Defense Forces says it has struck some 40 Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) targets in the Gaza Strip since it launched Operation Breaking Dawn yesterday afternoon.
The IDF says the targets include at least six Islamic Jihad weapon manufacturing workshops, two weapons storage sites, six observation posts and five rocket-launching positions.
The IDF estimates it has killed around 10 Islamic Jihad terror operatives in the airstrikes, but also says that two or three uninvolved Palestinians have been killed. The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says the casualties include a five-year-old girl.
Rocket sirens sound in the Gaza border communities of Nir Am, Ein HaShlosha and Nirim.
There are no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
While sirens wailed intermittently throughout the night in a number of communities, the frequency of the barrages has increased since 7 a.m.
Rocket sirens sound in the coastal city of Ashkelon, as well as a number of communities close to the Gaza border.
There are no immediate reports of injuries.
Over 160 projectiles have been fired at Israel from Gaza since Friday evening, the IDF says.
Incoming rocket sirens are continuing to sound in Israeli towns close to the border with the Gaza Strip.
A barrage of projectiles appears to have been fired toward the community of Nir Oz.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Israel Defense Forces says it is prepared for a “week of operations” and that over 160 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since Friday afternoon.
The IDF says there are currently no negotiations underway to bring an end to the violence.
The military says the Iron Dome missile defense system has demonstrated a 95 percent success rate at intercepting the projectiles fired toward Israeli towns by Gaza-based terror groups.
In a briefing to reporters, military spokesperson Ran Kochav says around 30 of the rockets fired by terrorists did not cross the border into Israel and landed within the enclave.
He says around 60 of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and the remainder landed in open areas.
Kochav says “Tayseer Jabari is not the final target in Palestinian Islamic Jihad,” referring to one of the terror groups senior commanders killed in an IDF strike on Friday.
The Interior Ministry announces that a number of beaches in southern Israel are closed due to the rocket fire from Gaza.
The beaches at Rishon Lezion, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Palmachim, Nitzanim and Zikim are all closed to bathers.
Fresh rocket sirens are heard in Sderot and a number of surrounding communities close to the Gaza border, shortly after 7 a.m.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Israeli military says it nabbed 20 suspects overnight in arrest raids across the West Bank, including 19 Palestinians affiliated with the Islamic Jihad terror group.
The suspects were transferred to Israeli security services for interrogation, the military says.
There were no injuries among Israeli forces conducting the arrest raids.
Rocket sirens are heard in Sderot and the surrounding areas early Saturday morning.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
The Israeli military says it launched fresh airstrikes on rocket-launching positions manned by Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists early Saturday.
“An aircraft struck, a short time ago, another rocket-launching positions of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization in the Gaza Strip,” the IDF says.
“Missiles were fired from this launch site tonight [Friday] towards Israeli territory,” the military says.
The army posts footage from the strike.
The Israel Defense Forces spokesperson says security forces arrested an undisclosed number of operatives affiliated with terror group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the West Bank overnight Friday-Saturday. No further details were provided.
According to reports in Hebrew-language media, a known senior official of the group who previously served time in Israeli prison was among those arrested. Citing Palestinian media sources, he was identified as Najah Habaiba, said to have been nabbed near Jenin.
The IDF launched arrest raids in the West Bank after terrorists from PIJ fired relentless barrages of rockets at Israeli communities in southern and central Israel Friday night and into the wee hours of Saturday, sending thousands rushing to shelters.
The Israeli military struck a number of PIJ sites in the Gaza Strip overnight, including weapons-making facilities and rocket-launching positions, the army said.
The rocket volleys Friday and Saturday came hours after the military launched Operation Breaking Dawn with airstrikes in Gaza in response to what leaders said was an ongoing “concrete” threat from Islaimc Jihad to target Israeli civilians and soldiers in Gaza-border areas.
In its initial round of strikes Friday, the military said six sites were hit by fighter jets and armed drones. One of the strikes killed one of the PIJ’s senior commanders, Tayseer Jabari, whom Israeli leaders said was planning to attack Israeli civilians near the border.
Jabari replaced Abu al-Ata as the group’s commander in northern Gaza after the latter’s assassination by Israel in 2019. The PIJ confirmed Jabari’s death.
The IDF also targeted the head of the anti-tank guided missile array and several squads preparing attacks. The army estimated that between 10-20 terror operatives had been killed in the opening wave of airstrikes.
By nightfall Friday, the Hamas-run health ministry confirmed that at least 15 people had been killed, including a five-year-old girl, and 55 others wounded.
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