Israel-Gaza: Talks under way to broker ceasefire in Gaza - BBC

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Talks are under way to end the latest violence between Israel and Palestinian militants, which has killed at least 36 Palestinians since Friday.

Islamic Jihad militants and Israel are reported to have agreed a truce brokered by Egypt, but officially talks are still in progress.

Earlier, rockets fired from Gaza reached Jerusalem for the first time since May last year.

Israel says it launched strikes due to an "immediate threat" from militants.

The latest violence is the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza since an 11-day conflict in May 2021 left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead.

However, the violence has so far been more limited as Hamas - the Islamist group that rules the Gaza Strip and which often coordinates with PIJ - has refrained from joining attacks against Israel. Israel says the PIJ has fired hundreds of rockets in recent days, most of which have been intercepted. No injuries have so far been reported in Israel.

There are no reports of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas, which would mark an escalation in the violence.

• The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained
• The children who died in the 2021 conflict

Large crowds gathered on Sunday for the funerals of those killed in strikes on Rafah, in the south of the territory, including senior PIJ commander Khaled Mansour - the second top militant to have died. Demonstrations in support of Gaza have also been held in the West Bank city of Nablus.

On Sunday evening, the Palestinian health ministry said that 11 children were among the 36 deaths recorded so far.

Reports of a potential ceasefire deal come amid concerns over the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as health officials warned that hospitals only had enough fuel to run generators for another two days.

Gaza's health ministry blamed "Israeli aggression" for the deaths of Palestinians and for the 265 people wounded.

Israel accused PIJ militants of accidentally causing at least some of those deaths - claiming on Saturday that the group fired a stray rocket killing multiple children in Jabalia, in the Gaza Strip. The BBC has not been able to independently verify this claim.

The latest conflict closely follows Israel's arrest of Bassem Saadi, reported to be the head of PIJ in the West Bank, on Monday night.

He was held in the Jenin area as part of an ongoing series of arrest operations after a wave of attacks by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that left 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead. Two of the attackers came from the Jenin district.

PIJ, which is one of the strongest militant groups operating in Gaza, is backed by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital Damascus.

It has been responsible for many attacks, including rocket-fire and shootings against Israel.

In November 2019, Israel and PIJ fought a five-day conflict following the killing by Israel of a PIJ commander who Israel said had been planning an imminent attack. The violence left 34 Palestinians dead and 111 injured, while 63 Israelis needed medical treatment.

Israel said 25 of the Palestinians killed were militants, including those hit preparing to launch rockets.

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2022-08-07 17:10:00Z
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Israel-Gaza: Death toll rises as Israel kills second top militant - BBC

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Israel has killed a second top militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, as the death toll continues to rise from air strikes in Gaza.

Six children and several PIJ fighters - including leaders Khaled Mansour and Tayseer Jabari - are among the 32 Palestinians reported to have died.

Nearly 600 Palestinian rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel since Friday, an Israeli official said.

Israel says it launched the operations due to "immediate threat" from PIJ.

The latest violence is the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza since an 11-day conflict in May 2021 left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead.

The Israeli military is warning this latest operation - codenamed Breaking Dawn - could last for a week.

On Sunday, Palestinian rockets fired from the Gaza Strip reached Jerusalem for the first time since the 2021 conflict.

The attacks came after Israel killed senior PIJ leader Khaled Mansour in an air strike on a house in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza.

The commander had previously survived five assassination attempts by the Israeli military, who accused him of planning militant operations out of Gaza.

As well as air strikes on Gaza, where Israel said its targets included a PIJ tunnel network, there have been continued arrest raids in the occupied West Bank. Dozens of members of PIJ have been detained, according to Israel

Gaza's health ministry blamed "Israeli aggression" for the deaths of Palestinians, and for the more than 200 people wounded.

Israel accused PIJ militants of accidentally causing at least some of those deaths - claiming on Saturday that the group fired a stray rocket killing multiple children in Jabalia, in the Gaza Strip. The BBC has not been able to independently verify this claim.

So far Hamas, the biggest militant group in the area - which has similar ideology to Islamic Jihad and often coordinates its actions with it - does not seem to be firing from its large rocket arsenal.

As a result, there are no reports of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas, which would mark an escalation in the violence.

• The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained
• The children who died in the 2021 conflict

Hamas has issued strong statements saying that "resistance groups" are united. But because it governs Gaza it has its own practical considerations which may stop it from getting more involved.

The calculations of Hamas could change, if for example the civilian death toll in Gaza rises rapidly.

If it does decide to join the fighting then it would quickly get much more intense.

There is growing concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory. Israel closed its crossing with Gaza last week amid fears that Islamic Jihad would retaliate for the arrest of one of its leaders in the northern West Bank.

On Saturday, Gaza's only power station closed down because it had not received any fuel deliveries, an electricity company spokesman said.

The US State Department urged all sides to avoid further escalation - confirming its support for Israel's right to self-defence while noting the US's concern over reports of civilian casualties, Reuters news agency reports.

Hoping to prevent further violence, Egypt has also stepped in as a mediator between the two sides and reportedly sent a delegation of officials to Israel on Saturday to act as a go-between.

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The latest conflict closely follows Israel's arrest of Bassem Saadi, reported to be the head of PIJ in the West Bank, on Monday night.

He was held in the Jenin area as part of an ongoing series of arrest operations after a wave of attacks by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that left 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead. Two of the attackers came from the Jenin district.

PIJ, which is one of the strongest militant groups operating in Gaza, is backed by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital Damascus.

It has been responsible for many attacks, including rocket-fire and shootings against Israel.

In November 2019, Israel and PIJ fought a five-day conflict following the killing by Israel of a PIJ commander who Israel said had been planning an imminent attack. The violence left 34 Palestinians dead and 111 injured, while 63 Israelis needed medical treatment.

Israel said 25 of the Palestinians killed were militants, including those hit preparing to launch rockets.

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2022-08-07 05:40:40Z
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Cuba: Lightning strikes oil facility - 17 missing and 77 hurt, with flames raging out of control - Sky News

A lightning strike has sparked a fire at an oil storage facility in Cuba, and the flames are now raging out of control.

Four explosions have been reported at the site in the city of Matanzas, and almost 80 people have been injured.

Seventeen firefighters who were in a nearby area and trying to stop the blaze from spreading have been reported missing.

Cuba's government has asked for help from international experts in "friendly countries" who have experience in the oil sector.

As helicopters flew overhead to drop water, a dense column of black smoke billowed from the site and spread westwards towards the capital Havana.

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The storage facility is equipped with eight giant tanks that hold oil which is used to fuel electricity generating plants.

Lightning initially hit one tank, but the blaze later spread to a second - and the accident comes as Cuba continues to grapple with fuel shortages.

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Adiel Gonzalez, who lies close by, said: "I was in the gym when I felt the first explosion. A column of smoke and terrible fire rose through the skies."

The Dubrocq neighbourhood, which is closest to the fire, has now been evacuated - with some opting to leave districts that are a little further away.

Mantanzas is home to a population of about 140,000 people, and President Miguel Diaz-Canel travelled to the area on Saturday.

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2022-08-06 23:48:36Z
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Israel-Gaza: Death toll rises as Israel targets militants - BBC

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Palestine's health ministry says 24 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip where the Israeli military is targeting members of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad.

Six children and several PIJ fighters - including leader Tayseer Jabari - are among the dead.

Some 300 Palestinian rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel since Friday, an Israeli official said.

Israel says it launched the operations due to "immediate threat" from PIJ.

The latest violence is the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza since an 11-day conflict in May 2021 left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead.

The Israeli military is warning this latest operation - codenamed Breaking Dawn - could last for a week.

As well as air strikes on Gaza, some 19 members of PIJ have been arrested in raids across the occupied West Bank, according to Israel.

Sirens warning of incoming missiles continued to sound in Israeli towns on Saturday, amid more reports of air strikes in Gaza.

Gaza's health ministry blamed "Israeli aggression" for the deaths of Palestinians, and for the 203 people wounded.

But so far Hamas, the biggest militant group in the area - which has similar ideology to Islamic Jihad and often coordinates its actions with it - does not seem to be firing from its large rocket arsenal.

As a result, there are no reports of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas, which would mark an escalation in the violence.

• The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained
• The children who died in the 2021 conflict

Hamas issued strong statements on Friday night saying that "resistance groups" were united. But because it governs Gaza it has its own practical considerations which may stop it from getting more involved.

The calculations of Hamas could change, if for example the civilian death toll in Gaza rises rapidly.

If it does decide to join the fighting then it would quickly get much more intense.

Life in the Palestinian territory has already become much harder in the past week, after Israel closed its crossings with Gaza amid fears that Islamic Jihad would retaliate for the arrest of one of its leaders in the northern West Bank.

On Saturday, Gaza's only power station closed down because it had not received any fuel deliveries, an electricity company spokesman said.

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Of the almost 300 rockets and mortars reportedly fired from Gaza towards Israel overnight, an Israeli official said some 70 did not reach Israeli territory and landed in the Gaza Strip.

The vast majority of those that reached Israeli air space were intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defence system, with no Israeli casualties, officials said.

Some 30 Islamic Jihad targets have been struck, among them two weapon storage facilities and six rocket manufacturing sites, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said. The strikes have injured more than 120 people, Palestinian health officials say.

Referring to the initial strike on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Israel carried out "a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat".

The IDF said its attacks targeted sites linked to PIJ, including the high-rise Palestine Tower in Gaza City which was hit on Friday in a loud explosion which left smoke pouring from the building.

In remarks delivered while on a trip to the Iranian capital Tehran, PIJ secretary general Ziyad al-Nakhala said: "We will respond forcefully to this aggression, and there will be a fight in which our people will win.

"There are no red lines for this battle... and Tel Aviv will be under the rockets of the resistance."

The latest conflict closely follows Israel's arrest of Bassem Saadi, reported to be the head of PIJ in the West Bank, on Monday night.

He was held in the Jenin area as part of an ongoing series of arrest operations after a wave of attacks by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that left 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead. Two of the attackers came from the Jenin district.

IDF found illegal weapons and a large sum of money in his house. We know from intelligence we cannot share details we know that they have PIJ operatives in Gaza close to the border trying to attack Israeli civilians.

PIJ, which is one of the strongest militant groups operating in Gaza, is backed by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital Damascus.

It has been responsible for many attacks, including rocket-fire and shootings against Israel.

In November 2019, Israel and PIJ fought a five-day conflict following the killing by Israel of a PIJ commander who Israel said had been planning an imminent attack. The violence left 34 Palestinians dead and 111 injured, while 63 Israelis needed medical treatment.

Israel said 25 of the Palestinians killed were militants, including those hit preparing to launch rockets.

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2022-08-06 21:23:51Z
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Israel-Gaza: Death toll rises as Israel targets militants - BBC

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The Palestinian health ministry says 15 Palestinians have been killed in the Gaza Strip where the Israeli military is targeting members of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad.

A five-year-old child, two women and several PIJ fighters - including leader Tayseer Jabari - are among the dead.

Some 300 Palestinian rockets and mortars have been fired at Israel since Friday, an Israeli official said.

Israel says it launched the operations due to "immediate threat" from PIJ.

The latest violence is the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza since an 11-day conflict in May 2021 left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead.

The Israeli military is warning this latest operation - codenamed Breaking Dawn - could last for a week.

As well as air strikes on Gaza, some 19 members of PIJ have been arrested in raids across the occupied West Bank, according to Israel.

Sirens warning of incoming missiles continued to sound in Israeli towns on Saturday, amid more reports of air strikes in Gaza.

Palestinian health officials confirmed a man was killed near Khan Younis, in the south of the strip, on Saturday.

But so far Hamas, the biggest militant group in the area - which has similar ideology to Islamic Jihad and often coordinates its actions with it - does not seem to be firing from its large rocket arsenal.

As a result, there are no reports of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas, which would mark an escalation in the violence.

• The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained
• The children who died in the 2021 conflict

Hamas issued strong statements on Friday night saying that "resistance groups" were united. But because it governs Gaza it has its own practical considerations which may stop it from getting more involved.

The calculations of Hamas could change, if for example the civilian death toll in Gaza rises rapidly.

If it does decide to join the fighting then it would quickly get much more intense.

If things stay like this, Egypt - which often acts as a go-between for Israel and Gaza - could have a better chance of brokering some kind of truce.

Cairo officials were preparing on Saturday to host a potential delegation of PIJ representatives as part of that process, Egyptian media said.

Life in the Palestinian territory has already become much harder in the past week, after Israel closed its crossings with Gaza amid fears that Islamic Jihad would retaliate for the arrest of one of its leaders in the northern West Bank.

On Saturday, Gaza's only power station closed down because it had not received any fuel deliveries, an electricity company spokesman said.

Getty Images

Of the almost 300 rockets and mortars reportedly fired from Gaza towards Israel overnight, an Israeli official said some 70 did not reach Israeli territory and landed in the Gaza Strip.

The vast majority of those that reached Israeli air space were intercepted by its Iron Dome missile defence system, with no Israeli casualties, officials said.

Some 30 Islamic Jihad targets have been struck, among them two weapon storage facilities and six rocket manufacturing sites, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said. The strikes have injured more than 120 people, Palestinian health officials say.

Referring to the initial strike on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Israel carried out "a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat".

The IDF said its attacks targeted sites linked to PIJ, including the high-rise Palestine Tower in Gaza City which was hit on Friday in a loud explosion which left smoke pouring from the building.

In remarks delivered while on a trip to the Iranian capital Tehran, PIJ secretary general Ziyad al-Nakhala said: "We will respond forcefully to this aggression, and there will be a fight in which our people will win.

"There are no red lines for this battle... and Tel Aviv will be under the rockets of the resistance."

The latest conflict closely follows Israel's arrest of Bassem Saadi, reported to be the head of PIJ in the West Bank, on Monday night.

He was held in the Jenin area as part of an ongoing series of arrest operations after a wave of attacks by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that left 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead. Two of the attackers came from the Jenin district.

IDF found illegal weapons and a large sum of money in his house. We know from intelligence we cannot share details we know that they have PIJ operatives in Gaza close to the border trying to attack Israeli civilians.

PIJ, which is one of the strongest militant groups operating in Gaza, is backed by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital Damascus.

It has been responsible for many attacks, including rocket-fire and shootings against Israel.

In November 2019, Israel and PIJ fought a five-day conflict following the killing by Israel of a PIJ commander who Israel said had been planning an imminent attack. The violence left 34 Palestinians dead and 111 injured, while 63 Israelis needed medical treatment.

Israel said 25 of the Palestinians killed were militants, including those hit preparing to launch rockets.

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2022-08-06 15:38:30Z
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Israel-Gaza: Israel arrests 19 militant suspects after Gaza flare-up - BBC

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Israel says it has arrested 19 members of the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad in raids across the occupied West Bank, after carrying out airstrikes against targets in the Gaza Strip.

Eleven people have been killed in the air strikes, including a child and PIJ leader Tayseer Jabari.

Israel said the strikes followed an "immediate threat" from the group.

Scores of rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel overnight, most of them intercepted, Israel's military said.

The latest violence is the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza in just over a year

The 11-day war in May 2021 left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead before a ceasefire was agreed.

The Israeli military is warning this latest operation - codenamed Breaking Dawn - could last for a week.

Sirens warning of incoming missiles continued to sound in Israeli towns on Saturday, amid more reports of air strikes in Gaza that Israel says are targeting PIJ militants.

Palestinian health officials confirmed a man was killed near Khan Younis in the south of the strip.

But so far Hamas, the biggest militant group in the area - which has similar ideology to Islamic Jihad and often coordinates its actions with it - does not seem to be firing from its large rocket arsenal.

As a result, there are no reports of Israeli air strikes targeting Hamas.

Hamas issued strong statements on Friday night saying that "resistance groups" were united. But because it governs Gaza it has its own practical considerations which may stop it from getting more involved.

Life in the Palestinian territory has already become much harder in the past week, after Israel closed its crossings with Gaza amid fears that Islamic Jihad would retaliate for the arrest of one of its leaders in the northern West Bank.

The calculations of Hamas could change, if for example the civilian death toll in Gaza rises rapidly.

It it does to decide to join the fighting then it would quickly get much more intense.

If things stay like this, Egypt - which often acts as a go-between for Israel and Gaza - could have a better chance of brokering some kind of truce.

Cairo officials were preparing on Saturday to host a potential delegation of PIJ representatives as part of that process, Egyptian media said.

• The Israel-Palestinian conflict explained

Almost 200 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel overnight, the Israeli military said. Most were intercepted by the Iron Dome defence, with no Israeli casualties.

Some 30 Islamic Jihad targets have been struck, among them two weapon storage facilities and 6 rocket manufacturing sites, the IDF said. At least 78 people have been injured.

Referring to the initial strike on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Israel carried out "a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat".

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said: "We don't know how this will play out... but this could take time... this could be a lengthy round [of conflict] and a hard one."

The IDF said its attacks targeted sites linked to PIJ, including the high-rise Palestine Tower in Gaza City which was hit on Friday in a loud explosion which left smoke pouring from the building.

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The IDF said Tayseer Jabari was a "senior commander" in PIJ, and accused him of having committed "multiple terrorist attacks" against Israeli civilians.

Five-year-old Alaa Kaddum was among those killed in the strikes, local officials also said.

In remarks delivered while on a trip to the Iranian capital Tehran, PIJ secretary general Ziyad al-Nakhala said: "We will respond forcefully to this aggression, and there will be a fight in which our people will win."

"There are no red lines for this battle... and Tel Aviv will be under the rockets of the resistance".

The latest conflict closely follows Israel's arrest of Bassem Saadi, reported to be the head of PIJ in the West Bank, on Monday night.

He was held in the Jenin area as part of an ongoing series of arrest operations after a wave of attacks by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians that left 17 Israelis and two Ukrainians dead. Two of the attackers came from the Jenin district.

PIJ, which is one of the strongest militant groups operating in Gaza, is backed by Iran and has its headquarters in the Syrian capital Damascus.

It has been responsible for many attacks, including rocket-fire and shootings against Israel.

In November 2019, Israel and PIJ fought a five-day conflict following the killing by Israel of a PIJ commander who Israel said had been planning an imminent attack. The violence left 34 Palestinians dead and 111 injured, while 63 Israelis needed medical treatment.

Israel said 25 of the Palestinians killed were militants, including those hit preparing to launch rockets.

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2022-08-06 08:42:11Z
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Gaza: Palestinian militants hit back after Israeli airstrike kills senior commander - Sky News

At least 10 people have died, including a senior member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), as a result of Israeli airstrikes, officials have said.

A blast was heard in Gaza City on Friday and smoke was seen coming from the seventh floor of a tall building.

The PIJ said it had responded by firing more than 100 rockets towards Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv.

TV stations appeared to show a number of missiles being shot down by air defence systems, with no reports of casualties.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said that 65 people were wounded, with a senior Islamic Jihad commander, a 23-year-old woman and a five-year-old girl among the dead.

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The strike comes after days of tensions following the arrest of a senior militant in the occupied West Bank on Monday.

Israel had closed roads around Gaza earlier this week and sent reinforcements to the border, in anticipation of retaliation.

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"The IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) is currently striking in the Gaza Strip. A special situation has been declared on the Israeli home front," the Israeli military said in a statement.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and IDF said the official killed was Tayseer al-Jaabari.

According to the IDF, he was "responsible for multiple terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians" and shared a picture of him on social media.

Image: The IDF shared an image of the PIJ militant who was targeted. Pic: Twitter/IDF

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said "the Israeli enemy, who started the escalation against Gaza and committed a new crime, must pay the price and bear full responsibility for it".

In a statement broadcast on Al Mayadeen television, a pro-Iranian Lebanese channel, Islamic Jihad leader Ziad Al Nakhala vowed retaliation for the strikes.

"There are no red lines in this battle and Tel Aviv will fall under the rockets of resistance, as well as all Israeli cities," he said.

Tensions raise possibility of second war in as many years

Tensions have been high around Gaza for days, following the arrest by Israel of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) leader in the West Bank earlier in the week.

An 80km zone of road closures and lockdown has been in place on the Israeli side, in anticipation of retaliatory action by PIJ – this gave the IDF time to move military assets into place, in preparation for today’s operation.

Israel says attempts to get PIJ to climb down have been exhausted, and so they've now decided to act first and launched "Operation Breaking Dawn".

Strikes on a high-rise building killed a number of PIJ militants, including the commander of Islamic Jihad in northern Gaza. A five-year-old child was also among the dead, and more than 40 were wounded.

Israeli officials are making it clear this was a strike against a PIJ target, not against Hamas, the militant group that controls Gaza. That message has been passed onto Hamas via backchannels.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad has already said it will respond and warned that Tel Aviv, just north of Gaza, will be targeted.

Hamas, which Israel says it wants to keep out of this, must now decide what it does next. If the group joins forces with PIJ and fires rockets into Israel, then things could escalate very quickly, and we could be looking at a second war in as many years.

Senior IDF commanders have hinted to me that their objectives have been achieved, however they warn of further airstrikes if they receive intelligence that preparations are under way for attacks on Israel.

Much hangs on the next 24 hours.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz visited communities near Gaza earlier on Friday, saying authorities were preparing "actions that will remove the threat from this region", without elaborating.

"We will operate with internal resilience and external strength in order to restore routine life in Israel's south," he said.

"We do not seek conflict, yet we will not hesitate to defend our citizens, if required."

The PIJ is smaller than Hamas but shares a similar ideology, with both groups opposing Israel's presence.

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2022-08-05 21:11:15Z
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