Kiryat Gat

The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they unfolded. For a recap of Wednesday’s events, click here. Banners praising Hamas hung up on Temple Mount for Eid al-Fitr prayers Activists hang large banners lauding the Hamas terror group and its leaders outside the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount as worshipers gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers at the holy site. Sirens in northern areas were false alarm, IDF says IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the rocket sirens heard in northern Israel, in the Jezreel Valley and Lower Galilee, were the result of a false alarm. “There was no rocket [heading] to the Jezreel Valley,” Zilberman says. The sirens were apparently triggered by a miscalculation of a rocket’s trajectory during a barrage aimed at central Israel, he says. IDF chiefs to approve Gaza ground invasion plans later today, army says IDF Spokesman Hidai Zilberman says a variety of plans for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip will be presented to the IDF General Staff for approval later today. These plans, which are being assembled by the Gaza Division and Southern Command, can then be given to Israel’s political leadership for consideration. The IDF in recent days has deployed additional ground troops to the border — from the Paratroopers Brigade, Golani Infantry Brigade and 7th Armored Brigade — ahead of a potential incursion, but no decision to go forward with such a campaign has been made yet. Rocket sirens blare east of Gaza border Fresh rocket sirens sound in Israeli communities just east of the Gaza Strip, as the Hamas terror group continues to fire rocket and mortar shells from the enclave. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The alarms are heard in Nahal Oz, Alumim, Kfar Maimon and Be’eri. Amid rocket fire from Gaza, officials divert incoming flights from Ben Gurion In a bid to minimize exposure of civilian air travel to rocket fire from Gaza, official say incoming passenger flights will now be diverted from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to Ramon Airport in the south. Passengers will disembark at Ramon. The empty planes will then fly to Ben Gurion to take on new passengers, and then depart from Ben Gurion to their destinations abroad. The decision is meant to broaden the air corridor taken by passenger flights in and out of the country and to minimize the numbers of passenger-filled planes on the ground at any one place in order to lower the chances that rocket fire from Gaza will hit a plane. Freight aircraft and private planes will still be allowed to land at Ben Gurion Airport, an Israel Airports Authority spokesman says. Doctors deliver baby of pregnant woman seriously hurt in Lod clashes overnight A pregnant woman in the 39th week of her pregnancy was seriously hurt in rioting in the central city of Lod overnight. Officials at Assaf Harofeh Hospital near Rishon Letzion say she remains in serious condition, but doctors have successfully delivered the baby. The hospital is the closest major medical center to the Arab-Jewish city of Lod. It says 20 people injured in the clashes in the city arrived at the hospital overnight, including one with gunshot wounds. Gaza officials say death toll hit 69 overnight Officials in Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry say the death toll from Israeli airstrikes hit 69 overnight, including 17 minors. Another 388 have been wounded since Monday. Palestinians assess damage caused by an Israeli air strike in the town of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 12, 2021. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90) Hospital says condition of Arab man beaten by Jewish mob improving Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv says the condition of the Arab man beaten by a Jewish mob in Bat Yam yesterday has improved. The 33-year-old man, whose beating was caught live on national television and sparked outraged responses from Israeli leaders, is now in moderate condition. He received stitches to his face and inside his mouth, the hospital says, and will be transferred this morning to the hospital’s general ICU for recovery. Three rockets fall in kibbutz near Gaza Three rockets fired from Gaza hit Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the border with the southern Strip. No one is injured. Officials at the Eshkol Regional Council, where Nir Oz is located, say 82 rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza to their area in the first eight hours of Thursday. Soldier wounded in missile strike from Gaza sees ‘dramatic improvement’ A soldier wounded in a Hamas missile attack on an IDF jeep near Gaza yesterday has seen a “dramatic improvement” in his condition, according to a Soroka Hospital spokesperson. The soldier went into surgery when he arrived at the Beersheba hospital yesterday and is now recuperating in the neurosurgical ward. His condition has been upgraded to lightly wounded. St. Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, was killed in the missile strike. A third soldier was seriously hurt. Gantz orders Border Patrol callup to reinforce police in towns that have seen clashes Defense Minister Benny Gantz orders the callup of 10 reserve Border Patrol companies to bolster police efforts to rein in clashes in Arab-Jewish towns throughout the country. A statement from Gantz’s office says he will not permit IDF troops to be used for policing work in Israeli towns. But the IDF will assist the police in the callup and the “logistical envelope,” the statement says. “We’re in a moment of emergency,” Gantz is quoted as saying. “At this time, there’s a need for massive reinforcements of the forces on the ground, which will be sent immediately to impose law and order.” British FM calls for end to Hamas rockets, de-escalation on all sides UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says he has spoken about the violence with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. “We are appealing for calm, an end to the Hamas rocket attacks, and a de-escalation of the violence on all sides which is costing lives,” Raab says in a statement. On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Israel and the Palestinians to “step back from the brink” and called for both sides to “show restraint.” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (left) meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem on August 25, 2020. (Courtesy/Miri Shimonovich) “The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions,” Johnson tweeted. IDF says it carried out strike on Hamas military intelligence building The Israel Defense Forces says in a statement that military aircraft carried out a strike on a building holding military intelligence services of the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip. “IDF fighter jets and aircraft recently attacked the offices of the military intelligence of the terrorist organization Hamas in Rimal in the Gaza Strip,” the military says, referring to an upscale neighborhood of Gaza City. The strike came as the Israeli military expanded its targets to also include institutions that Hamas uses to rule the Palestinian enclave, notably its treasury and banks. The military says it will continue to hit targets in the Strip. Hamas-run Health Ministry says 72 killed in Gaza since start of violence Officials in Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry say the death toll has hit 72, including 17 minors, since the current round of violence began on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces says dozens of those killed were terrorists and that additionally, some Palestinian fatalities were caused by misfired rockets from Gaza that failed to make their deadly way to Israel. Siren blares in Kerem Shalom, warning of incoming fire After nearly two hours of quiet in border communities, fresh rocket sirens sound just east of the Gaza Strip, as the Hamas terror group continues to fire rockets and mortar shells from the enclave. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The alarm is heard in Kerem Shalom. IDF says it carried out a strike on Hamas cell firing anti-tank missile The Israel Defense Forces says it carried out a strike on a Hamas cell that was firing an anti-tank guided missile toward Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. The military did not say if the missile was successfully launched. Yesterday, an Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip. Police say 82 more held over Jewish-Arab violence, some as young as 13 The Northern District of the Israel Police force says in a statement that 82 overnight arrests take the total number held since the start of Jewish-Arab violence on Monday to 232, including 13- and 14-year-olds. Police say the suspects are being held on suspicion of involvement in a number of crimes including rioting, arson and throwing rocks. Of the 232 held, the courts have agreed to extend the detention of 116 suspects, police say. The statement highlights two key disturbances in the north of the country on Wednesday night — rioting and the destruction of businesses by Jewish gangs in Tiberias, as well as rioting and the destruction of property in the Arab town of Kafr Kanna. Barrage fired at Ashkelon, Gaza border towns; a number of projectiles intercepted Sirens wail in the city of Ashkelon and a number of Gaza border communities warning of incoming projectiles. The warning alerts are heard in Nahal Oz, Talmei Bilu, Tekuma and Netivot. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damages. Photos and video footage from the scene appear to show a number of interceptions by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Hundreds attend funeral of Omer Tabib, IDF soldier killed by anti-tank missile Hundreds of mourners attend the funeral of Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, in the military cemetery in his hometown of Elyakim. Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis is attending the funeral as the government’s representative. Tabib was killed and two other soldiers were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. He was set to be released from the army next month. Hamas-run Health Ministry says 83 killed in Gaza since start of violence The Hamas-run Health Ministry says 83 Gazans have died since the outbreak of hostilities, 17 of them children, and 487 have been wounded. The Israel Defense Forces says dozens of those killed were terrorists and that additionally, some Palestinian fatalities were caused by misfired rockets from Gaza that failed to reach Israel and fell short in the Strip. For 2nd time in an hour, IDF hits Hamas cell firing anti-tank missile toward Israel For the second time within an hour, the Israel Defense Forces says it carried out a strike on a Hamas cell that was firing an anti-tank guided missile toward Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. The military says it hit the cell before the missile was launched. Yesterday, an Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip. Wife of man stabbed in Lod: Group of Arabs yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ and attacked him Gil Gabai, the wife of a man who was stabbed in the central of city of Lod this morning, says he was attacked by a group of Arabs who yelled “Allahu Akbar” as they beat and stabbed him. “He went to the car and on his way, a group of Arabs shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and attacked him with stones and rocks,” she tells Army Radio. “One pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed him in the back. He managed to fend him off and escape but another Arab man still tried to grab him.” “I saw the whole thing from the window of the house. I screamed for them to leave but I was afraid to come down in case something happened to me,” she says. “My husband is currently in the hospital. He is stable and doing okay,” she says. IDF says it prevented 3rd cell from firing anti-tank missile at Israel The Israel Defense Forces announces it has prevented a third cell from firing an anti-tank guided missile toward Israel from the Gaza Strip. The military says it “hit and thwarted” the attack. Yesterday, an Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip. The funeral of Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, is currently taking place in Elyakim. Footage shows Arab rioters in Haifa torching cars; dozens treated for smoke inhalation Security camera footage shows the moment a group of rioters, said to be Arab residents of Haifa, set fire to vehicles in the parking lot of a building inhabited by ultra-Orthodox families. According to the Walla news site, some 60 people were treated for smoke inhalation, many of them children. The attack took place in the early hours of the morning while the families slept. Man attacked in Acre was teacher who went out to stop his students joining violence The 37-year-old man attacked by Arabs in Acre last night was a high school teacher who went out looking for his students to stop them participating in the violence, Channel 12 reports. Doctors at the Galilee Medical Center say the condition of Elad Barzilai has significantly improved though he is still sedated and on a ventilator. Barzilai has already had one emergency operation for head wounds he suffered in the attack and he will require more surgery in the future, doctors say. Fresh round of sirens heard in Gaza border communities Alerts sound in a number of towns close to the Gaza Strip, warning of potential incoming rocket fire. Residents of Nirim, Kissufim and Ein Hashlosha rush for shelter. According to Channel 12 news, all the projectiles were intercepted or landed in open areas. There are no immediate reports of injuries. IDF identifies and strike 4th anti-tank missile squad in Gaza IDF forces have identified and struck yet another anti-tank missile squad in Gaza, the army says. It’s the fourth missile squad to be struck since the morning. An IDF soldier was killed and two were wounded when a squad successfully fired a missile at an IDF jeep near the border yesterday. Hamas: Striking Tel Aviv, Jerusalem is ‘easier for us than taking a sip of water’ A spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, calls for West Bank Palestinians to join the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the terror group. “Go forth, our people in the West Bank, fight the enemy in every field. The al-Qassam Brigades will be there at your back,” says the Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson Abu Obeida. The West Bank has seen violent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, with a few deaths, but nothing that could be described as a full-scale intifada, or uprising. “What sets this battle apart is our people’s solidarity everywhere they are, each according to the circumstances in the field,” Abu Obeida says. He threatens Israel with continued rocket fire in Israel’s heartland in the coming days should Israel continue to cross “red lines.” “Striking Tel Aviv, Dimona and Jerusalem, near and far, all of this is easier for us than taking a sip of water,” Abu Obeida says. IDF says it attacked Hamas base with 3 anti-tank launchers The Israel Defense Forces says it has attacked a Hamas military base that houses three anti-tank missile launchers. Earlier today, the military targeted four Gaza cells about to fire anti-tank missiles at Israeli targets. Rocket alarms sound in Ashkelon, Gaza border area Fresh rocket alarms sound in Ashkelon and communities near the Gaza border, some 90 minutes after the previous barrage by Palestinian terrorists. Iron Dome intercepts rockets over Ashkelon, no casualties The latest rocket barrage from Gaza caused no casualties, Channel 12 news reports. The report says several rockets were intercepted over Ashkelon by the Iron Dome air defense system. More rocket sirens heard in Sderot, Shaar Hanegev Additional rocket sirens are heard in Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev region, with TV footage showing at least one Iron Dome interception. Rocket alarms sound in Tel Aviv, central Israel A major rocket barrage is fired toward central Israel as sirens sound in Tel Aviv and other central cities. Sirens are also heard in Beersheba. More rocket alarms in Ashdod, Beersheba; barrage said to consist of 50 rockets More rocket alarms sound in Ashdod, Beersheba and other areas. The latest barrage toward central Israel consisted of some 50 rockets, Hebrew media reports. Several Iron Dome interceptions are observed, with one landing off the coast of Bat Yam. No casualties reported in major barrage; rocket lands in Tel Aviv parking lot No casualties are immediately reported in the latest heavy rocket barrage at central Israel and Beersheba, which is now said to consist of some 100 rockets. One rocket lands at the entrance to a parking lot in Tel Aviv, causing damage but no casualties. The Hamas terror group takes responsibility for the barrage, saying it’s in response to Israel killing its commanders in Gaza. Rocket alarms also heard in communities near Jerusalem Rocket alarms have also been heard in communities near Jerusalem, though not in the city itself. Reports say the sirens sounded in Beit Shemesh, Nataf and Mevo Horon. Hamas says it is using new rocket that can hit anywhere in Israel Hamas’s armed wing says that it has begun using a new rocket that enables it to hit any point in Israel. Abu Obeida says that Hamas military chief Mohammad Deif is calling for “international airline companies to immediately cease their flights to any airport in occupied Palestine.” “We tell the enemy: your airports and every point from northern Palestine to its south is in the reach of our rockets,” says Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing. The rocket is called the Ayyash 250, after the famous terror expert Yahya Ayyash. 2 lightly injured near Kiryat Gat following major barrage The Magen David Adom ambulance service says two people have suffered mild injuries from shrapnel in Zohar, a small community near Kiryat Gat, following the latest volley of over 100 rockets. Some 10 interceptions were observed over Tel Aviv. IDF: Total of 1,369 rockets launched since Monday, not including latest volley The IDF Home Front Command says that not including the latest barrage of over 100 rockets toward central Israel, a total of 1,369 projectiles have been launched thus far by Gaza terrorists since the fighting began Monday. Of the total, 1,031 landed in Israel, including 264 in inhabited areas. Drone said to enter Israel, explode over community; no casualties An unmanned aircraft entered hundreds of meters into Israeli territory and exploded over an Israeli community in the Sha’ar Hanegev region, causing no casualties, Channel 12 news reports. There have been many attempted drone attacks, mostly thwarted by the Israeli military. Germany vows ‘no tolerance’ for synagogue attacks after anti-Israel demonstrations Germany vows “unwavering” protection of its synagogues after scattered demonstrations over the escalating conflict in the Middle East saw protesters shout anti-Israeli slogans and burn Israeli flags. “There must be no tolerance for attacks against synagogues in our country,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tells the Funke media group, pledging “unwavering security” for Jewish temples in Germany. Protesters burned Israeli flags outside synagogues in Muenster and Bonn in western Germany earlier this week, with 16 people arrested. Last night, around 180 people shouted anti-Israeli slogans at a march in Gelsenkirchen, also in the west. Police say they prevented the protesters from marching on the city’s synagogue. In Hanover, police say they broke up a protest of around 550 people and prevented two protesters from burning an Israeli flag. Maas says German Jews should not be made scapegoats for the events in Israel “either in the street or on social media.” Germany’s Central Council of Jews, which represents about 200,000 Jews living in the country, called yesterday for stepped -p protection for Jewish institutions in the country as unrest flares between Israel and Palestinians. Hamas rocket targets Israel’s 2nd international airport near Eilat A rocket has fallen in the Hevel Eilot region, near Eilat, as Gaza terrorists appear to attempt to force Israel to completely close its skies. Palestinian terror groups say the rocket was targeting Israel’s second international airport, Ramon, where flights have been diverted after Ben Gurion Airport was also targeted. 4 hurt in latest rocket barrage, including boy, 7, in moderate condition The Magen David Adom ambulance service says four people have been injured following the barrage of over 100 rockets at central and southern Israel. A seven-year-old boy was moderately injured in his limbs on his way to a bomb shelter in central Israel and is being taken to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, MDA says, without specifying the location or what exactly caused the injury. In the community of Zohar, near Kiryat Gat, a 60-year-old woman is being treated for mild glass shrapnel wounds, a 40-year-old woman was slightly hurt on her way to a bomb shelter, and another woman suffered an acute anxiety attack. Hamas says it launched suicide drones into Israel The Hamas terror group says it has launched a number of armed suicide drones from Gaza into southern Israel. Initial reports from Israeli residents of the Gaza border, who say they heard explosions overhead, indicate that the unmanned aircraft were shot down. There is no immediate confirmation from the Israel Defense Forces. Rocket travels 250 km to Eilat area, apparently the longest-range fired by Hamas The Hamas rocket that fell in the Hevel Eilot region, near Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, appears to be the longest-range projectile ever fired by the Palestinian terror group into Israel. The rocket traveled some 250 kilometers into Israeli territory. Shortly before the launch, Hamas’s armed wing said it had begun using a new rocket that enables it to hit any point in Israel, called the Ayyash 250, after the terror chief Yahya Ayyash. The move, it said, is aimed at causing international flights to stop landing in Israel, including at Ramon airport near Eilat, after Ben Gurion Airport was targeted several times, causing flights to be diverted to Ramon. Armed drone from Gaza crash-lands in Israel One of the armed drones launched by Hamas into southern Israel crash-landed in an open field, causing no injury or damage, local officials say. According to the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council, the aircraft was disarmed by a police sapper. Singer urges IDF to reduce Gaza ‘to dust’ after rocket shard falls near his home Rocket shards from a successful interception fell near the southern Tel Aviv home of veteran Israeli singer Yishai Levi, causing him to call on the government to launch a ground operation inside the Gaza Strip. Speaking with Channel 12 news, Levi urges the forces “not to exit until they [Hamas] are [reduced to] dust.” “It was one centimeter from my backyard,” he tells the Ynet news site. “We heard a very loud boom at first, and then there was the sound of falling metal. I’m fine.” Netanyahu adviser in Newsweek op-ed: Stop promoting Hamas narrative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior adviser Aaron Klein writes in a Newsweek op-ed that Hamas is intentionally trying to “set the Palestinian arena ablaze” in order “to solidify its own domestic position ahead of any election and to present itself as the savior of the Palestinian cause.” Klein calls the growing violence in Jerusalem over recent weeks part of a deliberate Hamas campaign, whose narrative many around the world have accepted. “To help quell this calculated Hamas terror campaign, the international community must immediately condemn the Palestinian aggression and fully support Israel’s right to self-defense,” writes Netanyahu’s adviser. “And the international news media must stop promoting Hamas’s transparently false pretenses that seem to legitimize the bloodshed.” IDF says it targeted Hamas anti-tank missile launcher placed in Gaza high-rise The IDF says its forces have targeted another Hamas anti-tank missile launcher placed in a Gaza high-rise building. The military also publishes footage from the attack in the southern Strip, adding that the terror group “deliberately places its military assets in the heart of the civilian population in Gaza.” Footage shows people rushing for shelter at Ben Gurion Airport amid rocket alarm Footage shared on social media shows people rushing for shelter at Ben Gurion airport after rocket alarms sounded there last night. Gazan terror groups have deliberately and openly targeted Israel’s main international airport in an effort to disrupt air travel to and from the Jewish state. IDF says it downed a drone that crossed from Gaza into Israel The IDF says it has brought down another drone launched from Gaza that entered Israeli territory. The military says the drone was closely monitored from the moment it crossed the border until it was downed. Jewish suspects in fatal shooting of Arab in Lod released on bail All four Jewish suspects in the fatal shooting of an Arab man in Lod earlier this week will be released under relatively lenient restrictive conditions, the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court rules, imposing a gag order on any detail that might disclose their identities due to death threats against them and their families. The four were previously remanded after arguing they shot the man in self-defense amid intense clashes and violence by Arab rioters in the Jewish-Arab city. After initially demanding they be held in custody, police backtracked and asked for the suspects to be released to house arrest for 10 days, with an additional two-week restraining order barring them from Lod. But the court doesn’t send them to house arrest, instead releasing them on bail and barring them from Lod for several days. A police representative has told the court the suspects’ version of events has received a boost over the last few days of investigation. Residents of Gaza-adjacent communities told to stay indoors due to attack drones Rocket alarms sound in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, as a widescale drone attack on the area is also reported. Residents of Gaza-adjacent communities are being ordered to stay indoors due to unmanned drones being launched by terror groups. They have caused no injuries thus far, and most were downed by the IDF. IDF nixes leave for combat troops as it prepares for possible ground operation The Israel Defense Forces announces it is canceling all weekend leave for combat soldiers as it prepares for the possibility of a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, as fighting there intensifies. The military has sent infantry troops and tanks from the Paratroopers Brigade, Golani Brigade and 7th Armored Brigade to the Gaza border. In addition, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the military has called up 7,000 reservists. Roughly half of these are troops from air defense, artillery and medical units, and half serve in administrative and intelligence positions, Zilberman says. IDF says barrage at central, southern Israel consisted of only 25-30 rockets The Israel Defense Forces denies Hamas’s claims — widely echoed by Israeli media — that it fired some 100 rockets at central and southern Israel in its latest barrage. Rather, the army says, the terror group in fact launched 25 to 30 rockets in the attack. Israeli UN envoy urges Security Council to condemn ongoing Hamas rocket fire Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has sent a letter to the Security Council calling on the top UN body to strongly condemn the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza and defend Israel’s right to defend itself. “Hamas, an internationally designated terrorist jihadist group supported by Iran, is responsible for these murderous attacks. The indiscriminate rocket fire constitutes a double war crime: targeting Israel’s civilian population and launching the rockets from within Gaza’s civilian neighborhoods and institutions,” Erdan writes. “Hamas is presenting itself as the ‘defender of Jerusalem and the holy sites.’ This is, of course, a lie. It is clear that Hamas premeditated this escalation in violence and terrorism and is happy to pay the price of casualties on both sides in order to strengthen itself politically,” he adds. He points out that “Israel has taken far-reaching de-escalatory steps to prevent any unrest and violence [including] prohibiting the entrance of Jews to the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day. Palestinian terrorists responded by ramping up their terror, firing hundreds of rockets and missiles at Jerusalem, as well as other cities across Israel.” The ambassador concludes by stating that “the State of Israel is not interested in an escalation. However, Israel has the right and duty to defend its people and sovereignty and will continue to do so vigorously.” For the third time this week, the UN Security Council will be convening an emergency session Friday to discuss the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. This meeting, however, will be broadcast live. Footage shows IDF fighter jet shooting down ‘suicide drone’ launched from Gaza The Israeli military releases video footage showing an F-16 fighter jet shooting down an armed suicide drone that was launched from the Gaza Strip toward a target off the coast. In the video, the fighter plane can be seen locking on to the “suicide drone,” which carried a roughly five-kilogram explosive payload, before destroying the unmanned aircraft with a missile. Since the outbreak of fighting, Hamas has launched a number of these drones, which the terror group says are assembled in Gaza, though the IDF believes that many of the components are smuggled into the beleaguered enclave. All of these have been downed by the Israeli military. Rocket sirens blare in Netivot, Gaza-adjacent communities A fresh volley of rocket is launched from Gaza as alarms sound in Netivot and Gaza-adjacent communities. Netanyahu says he could okay administrative detentions to quell Lod violence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Lod, which has been the scene of major Jewish-Arab riots over the past few days, and says he’ll approve far-reaching measures to quell the violence, including deploying military forces or using the controversial measure known as administrative detention. “We have no bigger threat now than these pogroms, and we have no choice but to restore law and order via determined use of force,” the premier tells reporters. Administrative detention enables authorities to detain people for extended periods of time without leveling formal charges against them, in a practice decried by critics as undemocratic and abusive but defended by the security establishment as a necessary measure in cases where revealing the evidence would harm national security. After 5-year-old’s death, IDF orders residents to stay below bomb shelter windows The IDF orders the public to close all windows in their rocket shelters and stay below the bottom of the window, after 5-year-old boy Ido Avigal died from a rocket shard that penetrated his Sderot apartment’s designated safe room. “We had an irregular incident in Sderot of a shelter that was penetrated through the window,” says IDF Spokesperso Hidai Zilberman. “The window was standard. The irregularity was in the angle of the hit and its speed.” Entry to Lod barred, as curfew announced from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai announces that as of 5 p.m., entry to the central Israel city of Lod is prohibited due to the major riots and Jewish-Arab violence in recent days. A curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. in an attempt to prevent a repeat of previous nights’ scenes of violence. Residents will be allowed to exit their homes only to receive urgent medical treatment, go to bomb shelters or other vital needs approved by the police. Gaza rocket penetrates roof of ‘rocket-proof’ Israeli kindergarten that was empty A rocket fired from Gaza has directly hit and penetrated the roof of an empty kindergarten in a community near the Strip, even though it had been approved as rocket-proof, Channel 12 news reports. The network airs footage from inside the kindergarten, showing extensive damage. Authorities are said to be examining how the rocket penetrated the building’s roof despite the work to make it a safe zone. Putin, UN chief Guterres jointly urge Israel and Palestinians to halt fighting Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call on Israel and Palestinian terror groups to end the military confrontation that began this week. “In light of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it was stated that the primary task is to stop violent actions on both sides and ensure the safety of the civilian population,” the Kremlin says in a statement after their video call. Police chief said to oppose Netanyahu’s possible plan to send IDF troops to Lod After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will consider sending IDF soldiers to Lod as part of efforts to quell the unprecedented violent riots in the Jewish-Arab city, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai is quoted by Hebrew media as saying in closed meetings that he objects. Shabtai opposes using military forces for civilian policing, the reports say, since he believes IDF troops lack the training to deal with civilian populations. IDF strikes 4 ‘operational apartments’ used by Hamas commanders The IDF says it has launched strikes on four apartments of senior Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the military says Air Force planes bombed “operational apartments” of the deputy commander of Hamas’s Jabalia regiment in the northern Strip, as well as three company commanders in northern and central Gaza. All the apartments were allegedly used to direct recent rocket attacks at Israeli cities. IDF says it bombed Hamas intelligence center with dozens of operatives inside The Israel Defense Forces says it just conducted an airstrike on a Hamas intelligence facility with dozens of terrorist operatives inside. The military says the site served as the main command center for its surveillance network. It is not immediately clear how many Hamas members are killed in the strike. Fresh rocket alarms sound in Sderot, Netivot Fresh rocket sirens blare in Sderot, Netivot and various Israeli communities near Gaza. Heavy barrage targets southern Israel as 2 rockets hit, causing no casualties More, nonstop rocket sirens are heard in Israeli communities near Gaza and several interceptions are observed following a major barrage by Hamas terrorists. Alarms are also heard in the area of Beersheba and Rahat in the Negev. The Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council says two rockets landed in the region, causing no casualties. One landed inside a community, causing no damage, and another landed in an agricultural field and caused a blaze that is being dealt with by fire and rescue authorities. IDF Home Front Command extends emergency rules through Saturday The IDF Home Front Command extends its emergency restrictions for areas under threat of Gaza rockets until Saturday evening. The decision has been made following a situational assessment after the fighting has shown no sign of abating. The restrictions limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and indoor gatherings to 100 people in areas of southern and central Israel targeted repeatedly over the coming days, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. They also forbid educational activities and say workplaces can only operate in places where a bomb shelter can be reached in time. Fresh rocket alarms sound in Beersheba Rocket alarms sound again in Beersheba as Gaza terrorists send heavy barrages toward southern Israel. There are no reports of recent casualties. IDF targets ‘operational apartment’ of Hamas drone chief The IDF says it has bombed the “operational apartment” of Samer Abu Daka, the head of Hamas’s drone operations, after the terror group launched many “suicide drones” toward Israel earlier today. The military says the apartment was used for military purposes. It also says the same apartment was targeted in the 2014 conflict. Gaza will run out of fuel by Sunday — Israeli defense official The Gaza Strip will run out of fuel for its electricity generators by Sunday, an Israeli defense official tells reporters. According to the official, who is speaking on condition of anonymity, Gaza is down to having just five hours of electricity per day, after having 16 hours per day on average before the fighting. Some of this is due to Israel shutting down the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which is normally used to send fuel into Gaza, and some of this is because rockets fired by terrorists in the enclave struck some of the power lines into the Strip near the city of Rafah. According to the official, three of the four turbines that normally run in Hamas’s power plant are currently out of service as a result of the fuel shortage. Gaza’s water supply has also been affected by the power cuts, limiting the amount of running water in the Strip to once every two days, the official says. According to the Israeli defense official, residents of the Gaza Strip appear to be extremely concerned about the fighting and are largely hiding in their homes. He says there is also anger among the population because the fighting has prevented them from celebrating the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Israel amassing troops to prepare for Gaza ground operation — IDF spokesperson Israel is amassing forces along the Gaza border to prepare for a potential ground operation, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says. “We are gathering forces on the Gaza border, preparing them. They are studying the field and we will use them when we decide to,” Zilberman tells Channel 12 news. “The initiative is ours and time is on our side,” he declares. Heavy rocket fire at Beersheba as empty car suffers direct hit More, heavy rocket fire is launched toward Beersheba and other southern communities. Most of them land in open areas or are intercepted by the Iron Dome air-defense system, but one directly hits a car that was empty. Another lands in a backyard of a home in the Eshkol region, causing no casualties. Diplomatic source: Israel mulling ground operation in Gaza A senior diplomatic source quoted by Channel 12 news says Israel is considering a ground operation in Gaza in response to the continued heavy rocket fire from the Strip. The unnamed source says the option has been discussed by the security cabinet at the military’s request and that all options are being weighed. According to the network, over 200 rockets have been launched today by Palestinian terrorists, and a total of more than 1,600 have been launched since the start of the confrontation on Monday. Hamas health ministry says 87 Palestinians killed, 530 injured The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says 87 people have been killed since the round of fighting began, including 18 children. The ministry says 530 people have been injured. Israel says most of the fatalities are either members of terror groups or victims of Hamas rockets that landed inside the Strip. Gantz approves recruitment of 9,000 more IDF reservists Defense Minister Benny Gantz gives the military approval to call up to 9,000 reservists as needed, in light of the ongoing fighting with terror groups in the Gaza Strip, his office says. The reservists would come from combat units and command center operators, to serve in the Southern Command, Central Command, and Northern Command, so that soldiers regularly stationed there could be sent on other missions, his office says. IDF says 160 rockets launched from Gaza today Some 160 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel by terror groups in the Gaza Strip since 7 a.m. today, the military says. Dozens of the incoming projectiles that were heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the Israel Defense Forces says. Another 40 projectiles were fired from Gaza toward Israel, but failed to clear the border and landed inside the enclave, according to the military. In total, nearly 1,600 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel since the start of the fighting on Monday evening, according to the IDF’s tally. IDF soldier, Jewish paramedic seriously injured as riots renew in Lod, Jaffa As a nightly curfew at 8 p.m. in Lod nears, clashes are already reported in several Jewish-Arab cities, with rioters seriously injuring at least two Jewish men in separate incidents. The 19-year-old soldier is in serious condition after being beaten in Jaffa, and is suffering a skull fracture and a cerebral hemorrhage, Ichilov hospital says after the soldier drove there by himself. In Lod, a Jewish paramedic has reportedly been shot and is in serious condition, reports say. IDF bombs major Hamas rocket production center The IDF says it has bombed a central Hamas rocket production site and a Hamas navy military post in the central Gaza Strip. In addition, a number of other weapons production sites have been struck throughout the day, the military says. Far-right rioters filmed assaulting journalist in south Tel Aviv Footage from southern Tel Aviv shows journalists from the Kan public broadcaster being attacked and beaten by several far-right rioters. Reporter Yoav Zehavi has been beaten and has been taken to the hospital, while cameraman Roland Novitzky had his camera taken away. The attacker has reportedly been arrested. China says no Security Council meeting on Mideast conflict due to US objection A UN Security Council meeting planned for tomorrow to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian violence will not go ahead, a spokesman for China says. “There will be no SC meeting tomorrow,” the spokesman says, as diplomats maintain that the United States opposed it. IDF says some 1,750 rockets launched from Gaza since Monday The IDF says approximately 1,750 projectiles have been launched thus far by Gaza terrorists since the fighting began Monday, of which 300 failed to clear the border and landed inside the enclave. Hundreds of the incoming projectiles that were heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the Israel Defense Forces says. More rocket alarms sound in Israeli communities near Gaza Incoming rocket sirens blare in Ofakim and other Gaza-adjacent communities, as the almost non-stop rocket fire over the past few hours continues. Several Iron Dome interceptions are observed by residents in the area. There are no reports of recent casualties. Bennett rules out ‘change gov’t’ due to Gaza unrest, renews talks with Likud Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett has taken “off the table” the option of forming a government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, due to the ongoing military conflict with Gaza terrorists, a political source says. Bennett has renewed his negotiations with Likud due to the emergency situation, and teams from both parties met today, the source says on condition of anonymity. That is a major U-turn for Bennett, who was reportedly already set to announce the formation of a so-called “change government” headed by himself and Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid, when the round of conflict began. The potential government that had been negotiated included the Islamist Ra’am party, a local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is affiliated with the Hamas terror group against which Israel is currently fighting. Ra’am has suspended coalition talks until the hostilities end. Bennett explains in closed conversations that a government with Ra’am would not be able to deal with the current situation. He says the security situation is the top priority and that he is working to form a “broad national unity government.” He is thus canceling all the agreements with Lapid and saying that “when there is a wave of pogroms by Arabs across the country, and when IDF forces must be involved, this is a reality-changing event. “The change government being formed won’t be able to deal with it,” he says, according to the source. Biden says he doesn’t think Israel overreacted in its Gaza response US President Joe Biden says he does not think Israel has overreacted in its response to rocket fire from Gaza. “One of the things I’ve seen thus far is that there has not been a significant overreaction [by Israel],” he says, when asked at a press conference. “The question is how they get to a point where there is a significant reduction in the attacks, particularly the rocket attacks that are indiscriminately fired into population centers, but I expect that I’ll be having some more discussions,” Biden says, adding that various offices in his administration have been in frequent contact with not just the Israelis, but also the Egyptians, the Saudis and others on the matter. He describes his phone call yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “brief.” Near-constant rocket fire from Gaza persists as sirens heard in Ofakim Incoming rocket sirens blare in Ofakim and surrounding towns, as the almost non-stop rocket fire over the past few hours continues. At least one Iron Dome interception is observed by residents in the area. There are no immediate reports of casualties. Bennett said to reach deal to back direct PM elections along with Ra’am Yamina party leader has reportedly reached a deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas for both Yamina and Ra’am to support the premier’s initiative to hold direct elections for prime minister. Channel 12 news reports that as part of the deal, Bennett and his No. 2 Ayelet Shaked will get reserved spots on the electoral slate of Netanyahu’s Likud party and will be made defense and foreign ministers. Hamas publishes footage of long-range rocket that allegedly hit near Eilat The Hamas terror group in Gaza releases a video of the “Ayyash 250” long-range rocket, named after the terror chief Yahya Ayyash, which the group claims to have fired toward the Ramon airport near Eilat. Earlier today, the rocket fell in the Hevel Eilot region, near Israel’s southernmost city, and appears to be the longest-range projectile ever fired by the Palestinian terror group into Israel. The rocket traveled some 250 kilometers (150 miles) into Israeli territory. Police officer shot, injured in Ramle as riots intensify A police officer has reportedly been injured from gunfire by Arab rioters at a junction in Ramle, as violence intensifies in several Jewish-Arab cities. Earlier, a 19-year-old soldier was seriously injured in Jaffa after being beaten, and two men were wounded in Lod. Additionally, far-right rioters attacked journalists from the Kan public broadcaster in south Tel Aviv. Police rescue Jewish family attacked after entering Umm al-Fahm by accident A Jewish family has been attacked by Arab rioters in Umm al-Fahm after entering the Arab city by accident, Hebrew media reports, as riots continue in many cities around the country. Police rescued the couple and three young children, along with the help of local civilians. They all sustained mild injuries. Rocket sirens blare in Ashkelon, Ashdod; several interceptions Rocket alarms sound in Ashkelon, Ashdod, and surrounding towns as Gaza terrorists send more barrages of rockets toward southern Israel. Several Iron Dome interceptions are observed by residents in the area. There are no reports of recent casualties. Lapid says Bennett ‘wrong’ to bolt, vows to keep trying to form government Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid vows to continue his efforts to form a government, despite losing the crucial support of Naftali Bennett’s Yamina — which means he no longer has a plausible path to a government. “Bennett is wrong, I will continue turning over every stone to form a government,” Lapid says in a press conference. “Change isn’t done when it’s convenient, it’s done when the path is the right one. I will keep working to form a government, and if needed, we will go to more elections and win.” New Hope won’t join Netanyahu government, opposes direct PM elections — reports Sources in Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party are quoted by several media outlets as saying they will not join a government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appearing to continue to deny the incumbent premier an obvious path to a government. New Hope sources also say they will not join Yamina chief Naftali Bennett in backing Netanyahu’s push for direct elections for prime minister. Lebanese media: 3 rockets at northern Israel Lebanese media reports that three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel. This is not immediately confirmed by Israeli authorities. There are no reports of injuries or damage in the area. IDF: 3 rockets from Lebanon hit sea off northern Israel coast The Israel Defense Forces confirms that three rockets were fired from Lebanon toward the sea off Israel’s northern coast. The rockets caused no damage or injury as they hit the water, according to the military. As they were heading toward an unpopulated area, no sirens or air defenses were triggered. The IDF does not comment on who is behind the rocket attack. A Lebanese military source tells the country’s MTV news channel that a fringe Palestinian group appears to have launched the rockets, not the Hezbollah terrorist militia. US lifts indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces it is lifting mask-wearing requirements for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” says CDC director Rochelle Walensky. Rockets from Lebanon reportedly launched from Palestinian refugee camp A spokesperson for the Lebanese security services tells Al-Jazeera that three rockets were fired towards Israel from the area of a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. “The source of the rockets fired at Israel is unclear, and the investigation continues. The rockets that were fired towards northern Israel came from the vicinity of the Rashidieh refugee camp,” al-Jazeera reports, citing the Lebanese security services. Synagogue said torched in Lod amid riots A synagogue has reportedly been torched in Lod, as police again fail to contain raging riots in the central Israel city. More people — Jews, Arabs and police officers — have been injured in widespread clashes in the city and other Jewish-Arab cities. Dozens of rockets pound Ashdod, Ashkelon A heavy barrage of dozens of rockets targets the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon, with many intercepted by the Iron Dome air-defense system. There are no immediate reports of casualties. Hamas says 103 Palestinians killed since Monday The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry raises its death toll to 103 Palestinians, 27 of whom were children. The rise in death toll comes after a number of reports in local Palestinian media of Israeli airstrikes targeting residential areas. According to initial reports, entire families were killed in some cases. Israel maintains that most of those killed in Gaza were terror group members or, in a few cases, died from errant Palestinian rockets. Heavy barrage fired at Ben Gurion Airport, Shfela region A heavy barrage of rockets is launched by Gaza terrorists toward Ben Gurion Airport and the Shfela region. Rockets continue to be launched toward Ashdod and Ashkelon as well, with one rocket landing in the latter city, but no immediate further details. Blinken says US ‘deeply concerned’ by violence inside Israel US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voices alarm at the rise of Jewish-Arab violence inside Israel, which comes alongside fighting with the Palestinian terror group, Hamas. “We’re also deeply concerned about the violence in the streets of Israel,” Blinken tells reporters, saying that Jews and Muslims marking holidays this week “deserve to take part in celebrations without fear of violence.” Residents of a town near Gaza briefly told to stay home due to security event Residents of a town in the Hof Ashkelon region along the northern Gaza border were ordered to lock their doors and remain near bomb shelters, due to a suspected security situation unfolding. A short while later, the event is deemed a false alarm, and citizens of the area are permitted to leave their homes again. Rocket lands in Ramle, causing fire but no injuries A fire erupted in an open area near the central city of Ramle amid a rocket barrage from Gaza. Police and the fire and rescue services say the massive blaze was not caused by a rocket landing there, rejecting preliminary reports claiming one had. There are no reports of injuries in the area. US opposes Friday Security Council meet on Gaza to ‘give time for diplomacy’ NEW YORK — Asked to respond to reports that the US blocked the UN Security Council from holding an open session Friday on the escalation in Israel and Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington would prefer it not be held so soon. “We are open to and supportive of an open discussion at the UN. I think we’re looking at early next week,” Blinken says at a press conference. “This I hope will give some time for diplomacy to have some effect and to see if we get a real deescalation and can then pursue this in the United Nations in that context,” he adds, noting that US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr is currently en route to Israel for talks with both sides aimed at bringing about a cease fire. Security Council diplomats tell The Times of Israel that the member states are hoping to hold the meeting on Tuesday after the US rebuffed their efforts to meet on Friday. The council has already met twice this week behind closed doors, during which the US blocked an effort by the 14 other member states to publish a joint statement on the matter that would have criticized both Israel and Hamas for the ongoing escalation. Senior Israeli defense official in Washington for talks with US counterpart Colin Kahl Defense Ministry Director of Policy and Political Military Affairs Zohar Palti met with US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl in Washington, the Pentagon says. The two discussed the US-Israel defense partnership and opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, according to a US readout. They also discussed the recent rocket attacks from Gaza. Kahl “unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks directed at Israeli civilians and underscored US support for Israel’s right to self-defense,” the readout says. Kahl also underscored the US “enduring support for Israel’s security and Qualitative Military Edge, and conveyed the Administration’s support for a restoration of calm and protection of civilians,” it adds. Hamas chief speaks with UN envoy amid efforts to achieve ceasefire Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh speaks with United Nations envoy Tor Wennesland, official Hamas media reports. The United Nations, Egypt, Qatar, and other countries have reportedly been pushing for a ceasefire in the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas. The two discussed “the latest political developments,” Hamas media says. Sirens once again sound in Beersheba and Gaza periphery Sirens have once again sounded in communities in the Gaza periphery, as well as in Beersheba, signaling incoming rockets. 87-year-old woman dies after falling, hitting her head on way to shelter An 87-year-old woman has died after falling and hitting her head while running to a shelter in Shtulim, near Ashdod, reports indicate. IDF strikes Gaza anti-tank cells, Hamas cyber unit The Israel Defense Forces says it has attacked seven Hamas anti-tank cells in Gaza throughout the day. Two of them were struck in the last hour, the military says. The army also says it struck two buildings during the day belonging to the Hamas cyber unit. The military says the buildings in Gaza City were identified in a joint operation of the Computer Service Directorate and the Military Intelligence Directorate. Rocket explodes between Beersheba buildings During the last barrage toward the southern city of Beersheba, a rocket explodes between buildings, causing damage. Medics at the scene are treating two suffering from anxiety; no physical injuries are reported. IDF says air and ground forces currently attacking Gaza The IDF announces that air and ground forces are currently attacking the Gaza Strip. The army gives no further information, saying details will follow. Earlier today, a senior diplomatic source quoted by Channel 12 news says Israel is considering a ground operation in Gaza in response to the continued heavy rocket fire from the Strip. The unnamed source says the option has been discussed by the security cabinet at the military’s request and that all options are being weighed. According to the network, over 200 rockets have been launched today by Palestinian terrorists, and a total of more than 1,600 have been launched since the start of the confrontation on Monday. 8-year-old Jewish girl wounded in head when car stoned near Beersheba An 8-year-old Jewish girl was wounded after being hit in the head by a rock thrown at a car she was traveling in near Beersheba, medics say. The girl sustained moderate injuries and was taken to Soroka Hospital for further treatment. The stone-throwers are believed to have been from a nearby Bedouin village. Israel pummels northern Gaza with airstrikes, artillery and tank fire The Israel Defense Forces launches a massive bombardment on targets in the northern Gaza Strip, using planes, helicopters and other aircraft, as well as tanks and various artillery batteries. This is not yet a ground invasion, but appears to be the largest round of strikes conducted by Israel so far in this round of fighting. Netanyahu: We are exacting a heavy price on Hamas, operation will continue Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is exacting a heavy toll on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and will continue with the operation for as long as needed. “I said that we would exact a very heavy price on Hamas, we are doing this and we will continue with great force. The final word has not been said and this operation will continue for as long as needed,” Netanyahu says in a statement from his office. The prime minister says Israel is dealing with a two-pronged struggle, the fighting in Gaza and the Jewish-Arab conflicts inside the country. He vows to restore law and order, and calls on Israelis not to take the law into their own hands. Hamas: Israel hits Gaza with 150 airstrikes in minutes As Israel conducts a widespread bombardment across the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas media claims that more than 150 Israeli airstrikes took place over the past few minutes. According to the terror group’s health ministry, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes is now 109. Twenty-eight of them were children, it said. “The criminal enemy carries out show raids aimed at sabotage and destruction. Their motivation is their inability to confront the resistance. It will not affect the capabilities of the resistance at all, God willing,” a Hamas spokesperson says. IDF order all Israelis living within 4km of Gaza border into bomb shelters The Israel Defense Forces orders everyone within 4 kilometers (2.5) miles to enter a bomb shelter and remain there until further notice. This appears to be a precautionary measure as the military anticipates a significant retaliation from terror groups in the Strip as Israeli forces conduct a massive barrage on targets in northern Gaza. Rocket sirens wail in southern Israel, Ashdod and Beersheba Rocket warning sirens are going off in southern Israel and in the cities of Ashdod and Beersheba. The sirens sound as Israel launches a major bombardment of Gaza. Hamas says it fired 50 rockets. Rockets are fired towards Israel from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 14, 2021. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) US evacuates 120 Pentagon personnel out of Israel WASHINGTON – The US Defense Department has flown about 120 personnel out of Israel as a precaution in light of the ongoing violence there. That’s according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, who says the American personnel departed on Thursday on a US Air Force C-17 transport plane. They had been in Israel to plan for a future bilateral exercise. Kirby said the conference was scheduled to end this week but the exit was accelerated by a few days. There has been a dangerous escalation this week between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas militant rulers. Hamas sent a heavy barrage of rockets deep into Israel on Thursday as Israel pounded Gaza with more airstrikes and shells and called up 9,000 more reservists who could be used to stage a ground invasion. Dozens of rockets intercepted by Iron Dome, building hit in Ashdod The Iron Dome system intercepts dozens of rockets launched by Hamas at Ashdod, Beersheba and communities in the south. Video shows most of the rockets exploding in midair. Hamas said it fired 50 rockets. ???? Warning sirens being activated in #Beersheba, southern #Israel as the #IronDome intercepts multiple rockets. pic.twitter.com/bNiz7tbu7n — ʀᴀᴠᴇᴇɴ ᴀᴜᴊᴍᴀʏᴀ (@raveenaujmaya) May 13, 2021 Channel 12 says one building was hit in Ashdod, causing a local power failure. There are no immediate reports of injuries. US now backs Security Council meet on Sunday to ‘give time for diplomacy’ After blocking a Security Council meeting for Friday, the US now backs one for Sunday to ‘give time for diplomacy’ “The UN Security Council will meet to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza on Sunday,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield tweets. Her announcement comes hours after her office blocked an effort to hold the week’s third emergency session on Friday, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it was to “give time for diplomacy” efforts to play out. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr is currently en route to Israel for talks with both sides aimed at bringing about a ceasefire. “The US will continue to actively engage in diplomacy at the highest levels to try to de-escalate tensions,” Thomas-Greenfield says. Security Council diplomats tell The Times of Israel that the US had been pushing to hold the meeting only on Tuesday after rejecting the idea of a Friday session. However, after pressure from Norway, China and Tunisia who requested the meeting along with several other missions, Washington agreed to hold an open session on Sunday. The emergency meetings on Monday and Wednesday earlier this week had been held behind closed doors. During those sessions, the US blocked an effort by all 14 other member states to issue a joint statement on the violence that condemned both sides. IDF appears to mislead foreign media on ‘Gaza ground invasion’ The Israel Defense Forces appears to have misled foreign news outlets into believing that the military had launched a ground invasion into the Strip during its large-scale bombardment of northern Gaza. In its initial English-language statement, the military ambiguously phrased where its ground forces were located during the attack, saying “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” When asked to clarify the matter, if there had been a ground invasion, the IDF’s English-language spokesperson Jonathan Conricus responded: “Yes. As it’s written in the statement. Indeed, ground forces are attacking in Gaza. That is that they are in the Strip.” While this was technically correct, as some IDF troops were positioned in an enclave technically within Gaza territory — but for all intents and purposes under Israeli control — such a placement does not reasonably represent a “ground invasion.” This led to widespread, false reports throughout the world, including in The New York Times and Washington Post, that Israel had launched a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, which it had not done as of 2 a.m. Friday. Progressive Democrats tear into Israel from US House floor In brief speeches from the House floor, a group of progressive Democrats lambasts Israel for its response to Gaza rocket fire and over its treatment of Palestinians more broadly. Fighting back tears throughout her remarks, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, says, “You’d hardly know Palestinians existed at all” based on recent statements from the Biden administration regarding the Gaza violence. “We’re currently blocking the UN from calling for a ceasefire,” says Rep. Ilhan Omar, panning the Democratic administration and blasting Israel for its airstrikes in Gaza, which are in response to Hamas rocket fire. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez criticizes Israel more broadly for its actions in the West Bank and slams the government for banning Tlaib and Omar into the country in 2019 due to their support for BDS. “We are anti-war, we are anti-occupation, and we are anti-apartheid,” says Rep. Cori Bush, adding that she stands in solidarity with Palestinians just as Palestinian activists stood with Black Americans in Ferguson Missouri. Rep. Ayana Pressley calls for “equal outrage” over “state violence” be it in the US or Israel, panning Jerusalem for its crackdown on Palestinian protesters. Reps. Marc Pocan and Betty McCollum speak in favor of legislation that they’ve co-sponsored, which seeks to prohibit US aid to Israel from being used in certain Israeli actions in the West Bank and would require the White House to compose an annual report detailing how much aid goes to such actions. As the lawmakers spoke, staffers placed pictures of Palestinian children injured in Israeli airstrikes behind them. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who does not back the legislation gives a more moderate, but emotional speech, saying she is “horrified and saddened by the ongoing escalation of the painful cycle of violence.” “Israel has the right to defend herself, but in the end, there are no winners,” she says, urging the Biden administration to broker a ceasefire. Police arrest dozens in riots, clashes across the country Riots and clashes between Jews and Arabs continue into the early hours of Friday morning, with police making dozens of arrests. In Musmus, near Haifa, police arrested 11 residents for throwing stones, setting tires on fire and damaging traffic lights. Police said they used “riot dispersal means,” but did not elaborate. In Tel Aviv, police arrested two men who were carrying knives with the intent to cause a disturbance, police said. In Beersheba, 13 people were arrested, police said. Law enforcement said they used social media to identify people planning an illegal gathering. Those arrested were carrying an assortment of homemade weapons. US issues travel advisory for Israel, West Bank and Gaza The US State Department raises its travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza due to ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas and ethnic riots in Israel. The advisory had been lowered to a “Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution” as coronavirus cases have petered out, but has now been raised to a “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel.” “Rockets continue to impact the Gaza periphery and areas across southern and central Israel, including Jerusalem,” the State Department notes. “There has been a marked increase in protests and violence throughout Israel. Recent incidents of violence include vandalism, rock-throwing, burning of vehicles and attacks on passersby. Protests and violence may continue to occur, some with little or no warning,” the statement adds, in reference to ethnically motivated mob violence targeting Arab and Jewish bystanders across the country in recent days. Medics evacuate an injured man during clashes between Arab and Jews in Acre, northern Israel, May 12, 2021. Photo by Roni Ofer/Flash90 “The Travel Advisory for Israel and the West Bank and Gaza currently recommends US citizens: Reconsider travel to Israel due to armed conflict and civil unrest, and exercise increased caution to Israel due to COVID-19, travel restrictions, and quarantine procedures instituted by the Government of Israel. Do not travel to the West Bank due to COVID-19, travel restrictions and quarantine procedures instituted by the Palestinian Authority. Do not travel to Gaza due to COVID-19, terrorism, civil unrest and armed conflict.” 60-year-old man critically injured in Ashkelon rocket strike A 60-year-old man is critically injured after being hit by shrapnel from a rocket fired from Gaza, medics say. Magen David Adom medics treated the man and transferred him to Barzilai Hospital and are searching the area for any further casualties. Gaza terror groups are sporadically firing rockets at Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheba and communities in the south, as the IDF launches a major bombardment of northern Gaza. Army clarifies: Currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces clarifies that there are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. An English-language statement and comments from a spokesperson, saying that there were ground forces in Gaza, led to multiple foreign news organizations reporting that Israel had launched a ground offensive. “Clarification: There are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. IDF air and ground forces are carrying out strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip,” the army now says. Moderate Democrats offer ‘unwavering’ support for Israel from House floor In brief speeches from the House floor, a group of more moderate Democrats are expressing their solidarity as it responds to Hamas rocket fire from Gaza. The lawmakers spoke in front of a map of Israel full of pinpoints representing where rockets had targeted in recent days. Rep. Debbi Wasserman Schultz offers “unwavering and steadfast support for the state of Israel” and says Hamas is “single-handedly responsible” for the ongoing violence. She calls for a two-state solution and laments the loss of life to both sides. “Even though we may not always agree about Israel’s policies, we should be very clear that nothing, nothing justifies a terrorist organization firing rockets at our allies,” says Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Rep. Brad Schneider insists “Israel is rightfully responding to [Hamas] attacks, defending its citizens and protecting its borders.” He notes the large discrepancy in casualties between the sides, but argues that Israel goes out of its way to avoid civilian casualties, while Hamas does the opposite. “Please don’t be fooled by false choices. Israel and Hamas? If I am asked [to choose] between a terrorist organization and our democratic ally, I will stand with Israel every day of the week,” says Rep. Ted Deutch. Rep. Kathy Manning notes having experienced what it’s like to be in Sderot when rocket sires have gone off and says she attended an IDF briefing earlier today where she was told that Israel has only been targeting terrorists in its counterstrikes. “Who would turn a cheek when their mere existence is being questioned,” says Rep. Elaine Luria, who adds that she chooses to stand with Israel ‘as an American Jew.'” UN secretary-general calls for Gaza ceasefire ‘out of respect for spirit of Eid’ NEW YORK — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for Israel and Hamas to hold their fire out of respect for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr being celebrated today. “Out of respect for the spirit of Eid, I appeal for an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities in Gaza and Israel. Too many innocent civilians have already died. This conflict can only increase radicalization and extremism in the whole region,” he tweets. Sanders pushes Biden to pick envoy to Israel who can also engage with Palestinians US Senator Bernie Sanders weighs in on the growing debate over who will be the next US ambassador to Israel. “As President Biden considers his choice for Ambassador to Israel, I encourage him to choose someone who can represent our country in an even-handed way, and who can engage not only with Israel but with the Palestinians as well,” Sanders tweets. “The role of the United States should be to bring the peoples of the region together, not simply to support a right-wing Israeli government.” Sources familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel that former State Department official Thomas Nides and former Florida congressman Robert Wexler are the top candidates for the job. Biden is expected to name his nominee in the coming weeks. More progressive voices like Sanders have been critical of the idea that Nides could be the nominee, saying he does not have as much familiarity with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the parties involved. A group of Democrats, led by Rep. Ted Deutch, have appealed to Biden to back Wexler. Police chief said to blame extreme-right MK Ben Gvir for fanning violence Police chief Kobi Shabtai tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that extreme-right MK Itamar Ben Gvir is responsible for ongoing Arab-Jewish riots, Channel 12 reports. During a morning briefing, Shabtai says that every time police appear to be getting an area under control, Ben Gvir, the Kahanist member of the Religious Zionist party, shows up to fan the flames. “The person who is responsible for this Intifada is Itamar Ben Gvir. It started with the Lehava protest at Damascus Gate,” Shabtai says. “It continued with provocations in Sheikh Jarrah, and now he is moving around with Lehava activists.” MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (front), head of the Jewish extremist Otzma Yehudit party, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on May 6, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP) Lehava opposes intermarriage and assimilation of Jews and non-Jews, as well as LGBT rights, and tries to stifle any public activity by non-Jews in Israel, including coexistence events. Lawmakers across the political spectrum have tried to designate it as a terrorist group. “Yesterday police managed to calm things in Acre, when the activists showed up in a bus and caused an uproar. The police don’t have the tools to deal with it.” Ben Gvir responds to the report, saying that Shabtai should be fired, accusing the police of failing to use enough force to subdue Arab protests. Two more men wounded in Ashklelon rocket attacks Medics say another two men have been treated for injuries sustained in a rocket attack on Ashkelon. A man in his 50s was in a serious condition with a shrapnel wound to the stomach, and a 90-year-old man was lightly hurt with a head injury, the Magen David Adom says. Earlier they reported a 60-year old man was critically wounded in the attack White House pushing ceasefire but recognizes sides not there yet — source While the Biden administration has been pushing for de-escalation in the Gaza-Israel violence, it recognizes that a ceasefire in the next couple of days is unlikely, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke yesterday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but there is a recognition on the secretary’s part that Ramallah’s influence is limited at this point, given that the rocket fire is coming from political rival Hamas in Gaza, the source says. The Biden administration has been in touch with Qatar hoping the Gulf kingdom that provides significant humanitarian aid to Gaza would be able to pressure the terror group into agreeing to a ceasefire, the source adds. Rockets sirens sound in communities near Gaza Rocket warning sirens are sounding in Israeli communities near the border with Gaza. The early morning warnings sound after a night of rocket fire from Gaza that wounded three people with a hit in Ashkelon. IDF shoots down Hamas drone The IDF says its air defenses have shot down a Hamas drone that crossed into Israel. “The airforce tracked the drone until it was downed,” the army says.The incident comes a day after an F-16 shot down an armed Hamas “suicide drone” that tried to enter Israeli airspace.

The Times of Israel liveblogged Thursday’s events as they unfolded. For a recap of Wednesday’s events, click here. Banners praising Hamas hung up on Temple Mount for Eid al-Fitr prayers Activists hang large banners lauding the Hamas terror group and its leaders outside the Dome of the Rock shrine on the Temple Mount as worshipers gather for Eid al-Fitr prayers at the holy site. Sirens in northern areas were false alarm, IDF says IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the rocket sirens heard in northern Israel, in the Jezreel Valley and Lower Galilee, were the result of a false alarm. “There was no rocket [heading] to the Jezreel Valley,” Zilberman says. The sirens were apparently triggered by a miscalculation of a rocket’s trajectory during a barrage aimed at central Israel, he says. IDF chiefs to approve Gaza ground invasion plans later today, army says IDF Spokesman Hidai Zilberman says a variety of plans for a possible ground invasion of the Gaza Strip will be presented to the IDF General Staff for approval later today. These plans, which are being assembled by the Gaza Division and Southern Command, can then be given to Israel’s political leadership for consideration. The IDF in recent days has deployed additional ground troops to the border — from the Paratroopers Brigade, Golani Infantry Brigade and 7th Armored Brigade — ahead of a potential incursion, but no decision to go forward with such a campaign has been made yet. Rocket sirens blare east of Gaza border Fresh rocket sirens sound in Israeli communities just east of the Gaza Strip, as the Hamas terror group continues to fire rocket and mortar shells from the enclave. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The alarms are heard in Nahal Oz, Alumim, Kfar Maimon and Be’eri. Amid rocket fire from Gaza, officials divert incoming flights from Ben Gurion In a bid to minimize exposure of civilian air travel to rocket fire from Gaza, official say incoming passenger flights will now be diverted from Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to Ramon Airport in the south. Passengers will disembark at Ramon. The empty planes will then fly to Ben Gurion to take on new passengers, and then depart from Ben Gurion to their destinations abroad. The decision is meant to broaden the air corridor taken by passenger flights in and out of the country and to minimize the numbers of passenger-filled planes on the ground at any one place in order to lower the chances that rocket fire from Gaza will hit a plane. Freight aircraft and private planes will still be allowed to land at Ben Gurion Airport, an Israel Airports Authority spokesman says. Doctors deliver baby of pregnant woman seriously hurt in Lod clashes overnight A pregnant woman in the 39th week of her pregnancy was seriously hurt in rioting in the central city of Lod overnight. Officials at Assaf Harofeh Hospital near Rishon Letzion say she remains in serious condition, but doctors have successfully delivered the baby. The hospital is the closest major medical center to the Arab-Jewish city of Lod. It says 20 people injured in the clashes in the city arrived at the hospital overnight, including one with gunshot wounds. Gaza officials say death toll hit 69 overnight Officials in Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry say the death toll from Israeli airstrikes hit 69 overnight, including 17 minors. Another 388 have been wounded since Monday. Palestinians assess damage caused by an Israeli air strike in the town of Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on May 12, 2021. (Abed Rahim Khatib/Flash90) Hospital says condition of Arab man beaten by Jewish mob improving Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv says the condition of the Arab man beaten by a Jewish mob in Bat Yam yesterday has improved. The 33-year-old man, whose beating was caught live on national television and sparked outraged responses from Israeli leaders, is now in moderate condition. He received stitches to his face and inside his mouth, the hospital says, and will be transferred this morning to the hospital’s general ICU for recovery. Three rockets fall in kibbutz near Gaza Three rockets fired from Gaza hit Kibbutz Nir Oz, near the border with the southern Strip. No one is injured. Officials at the Eshkol Regional Council, where Nir Oz is located, say 82 rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza to their area in the first eight hours of Thursday. Soldier wounded in missile strike from Gaza sees ‘dramatic improvement’ A soldier wounded in a Hamas missile attack on an IDF jeep near Gaza yesterday has seen a “dramatic improvement” in his condition, according to a Soroka Hospital spokesperson. The soldier went into surgery when he arrived at the Beersheba hospital yesterday and is now recuperating in the neurosurgical ward. His condition has been upgraded to lightly wounded. St. Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, was killed in the missile strike. A third soldier was seriously hurt. Gantz orders Border Patrol callup to reinforce police in towns that have seen clashes Defense Minister Benny Gantz orders the callup of 10 reserve Border Patrol companies to bolster police efforts to rein in clashes in Arab-Jewish towns throughout the country. A statement from Gantz’s office says he will not permit IDF troops to be used for policing work in Israeli towns. But the IDF will assist the police in the callup and the “logistical envelope,” the statement says. “We’re in a moment of emergency,” Gantz is quoted as saying. “At this time, there’s a need for massive reinforcements of the forces on the ground, which will be sent immediately to impose law and order.” British FM calls for end to Hamas rockets, de-escalation on all sides UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab says he has spoken about the violence with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh. “We are appealing for calm, an end to the Hamas rocket attacks, and a de-escalation of the violence on all sides which is costing lives,” Raab says in a statement. On Wednesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged Israel and the Palestinians to “step back from the brink” and called for both sides to “show restraint.” British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab (left) meets with Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi in Jerusalem on August 25, 2020. (Courtesy/Miri Shimonovich) “The UK is deeply concerned by the growing violence and civilian casualties and we want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions,” Johnson tweeted. IDF says it carried out strike on Hamas military intelligence building The Israel Defense Forces says in a statement that military aircraft carried out a strike on a building holding military intelligence services of the Hamas terror group in the Gaza Strip. “IDF fighter jets and aircraft recently attacked the offices of the military intelligence of the terrorist organization Hamas in Rimal in the Gaza Strip,” the military says, referring to an upscale neighborhood of Gaza City. The strike came as the Israeli military expanded its targets to also include institutions that Hamas uses to rule the Palestinian enclave, notably its treasury and banks. The military says it will continue to hit targets in the Strip. Hamas-run Health Ministry says 72 killed in Gaza since start of violence Officials in Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry say the death toll has hit 72, including 17 minors, since the current round of violence began on Monday. The Israel Defense Forces says dozens of those killed were terrorists and that additionally, some Palestinian fatalities were caused by misfired rockets from Gaza that failed to make their deadly way to Israel. Siren blares in Kerem Shalom, warning of incoming fire After nearly two hours of quiet in border communities, fresh rocket sirens sound just east of the Gaza Strip, as the Hamas terror group continues to fire rockets and mortar shells from the enclave. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The alarm is heard in Kerem Shalom. IDF says it carried out a strike on Hamas cell firing anti-tank missile The Israel Defense Forces says it carried out a strike on a Hamas cell that was firing an anti-tank guided missile toward Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. The military did not say if the missile was successfully launched. Yesterday, an Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip. Police say 82 more held over Jewish-Arab violence, some as young as 13 The Northern District of the Israel Police force says in a statement that 82 overnight arrests take the total number held since the start of Jewish-Arab violence on Monday to 232, including 13- and 14-year-olds. Police say the suspects are being held on suspicion of involvement in a number of crimes including rioting, arson and throwing rocks. Of the 232 held, the courts have agreed to extend the detention of 116 suspects, police say. The statement highlights two key disturbances in the north of the country on Wednesday night — rioting and the destruction of businesses by Jewish gangs in Tiberias, as well as rioting and the destruction of property in the Arab town of Kafr Kanna. Barrage fired at Ashkelon, Gaza border towns; a number of projectiles intercepted Sirens wail in the city of Ashkelon and a number of Gaza border communities warning of incoming projectiles. The warning alerts are heard in Nahal Oz, Talmei Bilu, Tekuma and Netivot. There are no immediate reports of injuries or damages. Photos and video footage from the scene appear to show a number of interceptions by the Iron Dome missile defense system. Hundreds attend funeral of Omer Tabib, IDF soldier killed by anti-tank missile Hundreds of mourners attend the funeral of Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, in the military cemetery in his hometown of Elyakim. Regional Cooperation Minister Ofir Akunis is attending the funeral as the government’s representative. Tabib was killed and two other soldiers were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday. He was set to be released from the army next month. Hamas-run Health Ministry says 83 killed in Gaza since start of violence The Hamas-run Health Ministry says 83 Gazans have died since the outbreak of hostilities, 17 of them children, and 487 have been wounded. The Israel Defense Forces says dozens of those killed were terrorists and that additionally, some Palestinian fatalities were caused by misfired rockets from Gaza that failed to reach Israel and fell short in the Strip. For 2nd time in an hour, IDF hits Hamas cell firing anti-tank missile toward Israel For the second time within an hour, the Israel Defense Forces says it carried out a strike on a Hamas cell that was firing an anti-tank guided missile toward Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. The military says it hit the cell before the missile was launched. Yesterday, an Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip. Wife of man stabbed in Lod: Group of Arabs yelled ‘Allahu Akbar’ and attacked him Gil Gabai, the wife of a man who was stabbed in the central of city of Lod this morning, says he was attacked by a group of Arabs who yelled “Allahu Akbar” as they beat and stabbed him. “He went to the car and on his way, a group of Arabs shouted ‘Allahu Akbar’ and attacked him with stones and rocks,” she tells Army Radio. “One pulled out a pocketknife and stabbed him in the back. He managed to fend him off and escape but another Arab man still tried to grab him.” “I saw the whole thing from the window of the house. I screamed for them to leave but I was afraid to come down in case something happened to me,” she says. “My husband is currently in the hospital. He is stable and doing okay,” she says. IDF says it prevented 3rd cell from firing anti-tank missile at Israel The Israel Defense Forces announces it has prevented a third cell from firing an anti-tank guided missile toward Israel from the Gaza Strip. The military says it “hit and thwarted” the attack. Yesterday, an Israeli soldier was killed and two others were wounded, along with an Israeli civilian, after Hamas operatives fired an anti-tank guided missile at their jeep just north of the Gaza Strip. The funeral of Staff Sgt. Omer Tabib, 21, is currently taking place in Elyakim. Footage shows Arab rioters in Haifa torching cars; dozens treated for smoke inhalation Security camera footage shows the moment a group of rioters, said to be Arab residents of Haifa, set fire to vehicles in the parking lot of a building inhabited by ultra-Orthodox families. According to the Walla news site, some 60 people were treated for smoke inhalation, many of them children. The attack took place in the early hours of the morning while the families slept. Man attacked in Acre was teacher who went out to stop his students joining violence The 37-year-old man attacked by Arabs in Acre last night was a high school teacher who went out looking for his students to stop them participating in the violence, Channel 12 reports. Doctors at the Galilee Medical Center say the condition of Elad Barzilai has significantly improved though he is still sedated and on a ventilator. Barzilai has already had one emergency operation for head wounds he suffered in the attack and he will require more surgery in the future, doctors say. Fresh round of sirens heard in Gaza border communities Alerts sound in a number of towns close to the Gaza Strip, warning of potential incoming rocket fire. Residents of Nirim, Kissufim and Ein Hashlosha rush for shelter. According to Channel 12 news, all the projectiles were intercepted or landed in open areas. There are no immediate reports of injuries. IDF identifies and strike 4th anti-tank missile squad in Gaza IDF forces have identified and struck yet another anti-tank missile squad in Gaza, the army says. It’s the fourth missile squad to be struck since the morning. An IDF soldier was killed and two were wounded when a squad successfully fired a missile at an IDF jeep near the border yesterday. Hamas: Striking Tel Aviv, Jerusalem is ‘easier for us than taking a sip of water’ A spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, calls for West Bank Palestinians to join the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the terror group. “Go forth, our people in the West Bank, fight the enemy in every field. The al-Qassam Brigades will be there at your back,” says the Al-Qassam Brigades’ spokesperson Abu Obeida. The West Bank has seen violent clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians, with a few deaths, but nothing that could be described as a full-scale intifada, or uprising. “What sets this battle apart is our people’s solidarity everywhere they are, each according to the circumstances in the field,” Abu Obeida says. He threatens Israel with continued rocket fire in Israel’s heartland in the coming days should Israel continue to cross “red lines.” “Striking Tel Aviv, Dimona and Jerusalem, near and far, all of this is easier for us than taking a sip of water,” Abu Obeida says. IDF says it attacked Hamas base with 3 anti-tank launchers The Israel Defense Forces says it has attacked a Hamas military base that houses three anti-tank missile launchers. Earlier today, the military targeted four Gaza cells about to fire anti-tank missiles at Israeli targets. Rocket alarms sound in Ashkelon, Gaza border area Fresh rocket alarms sound in Ashkelon and communities near the Gaza border, some 90 minutes after the previous barrage by Palestinian terrorists. Iron Dome intercepts rockets over Ashkelon, no casualties The latest rocket barrage from Gaza caused no casualties, Channel 12 news reports. The report says several rockets were intercepted over Ashkelon by the Iron Dome air defense system. More rocket sirens heard in Sderot, Shaar Hanegev Additional rocket sirens are heard in Sderot and the Shaar Hanegev region, with TV footage showing at least one Iron Dome interception. Rocket alarms sound in Tel Aviv, central Israel A major rocket barrage is fired toward central Israel as sirens sound in Tel Aviv and other central cities. Sirens are also heard in Beersheba. More rocket alarms in Ashdod, Beersheba; barrage said to consist of 50 rockets More rocket alarms sound in Ashdod, Beersheba and other areas. The latest barrage toward central Israel consisted of some 50 rockets, Hebrew media reports. Several Iron Dome interceptions are observed, with one landing off the coast of Bat Yam. No casualties reported in major barrage; rocket lands in Tel Aviv parking lot No casualties are immediately reported in the latest heavy rocket barrage at central Israel and Beersheba, which is now said to consist of some 100 rockets. One rocket lands at the entrance to a parking lot in Tel Aviv, causing damage but no casualties. The Hamas terror group takes responsibility for the barrage, saying it’s in response to Israel killing its commanders in Gaza. Rocket alarms also heard in communities near Jerusalem Rocket alarms have also been heard in communities near Jerusalem, though not in the city itself. Reports say the sirens sounded in Beit Shemesh, Nataf and Mevo Horon. Hamas says it is using new rocket that can hit anywhere in Israel Hamas’s armed wing says that it has begun using a new rocket that enables it to hit any point in Israel. Abu Obeida says that Hamas military chief Mohammad Deif is calling for “international airline companies to immediately cease their flights to any airport in occupied Palestine.” “We tell the enemy: your airports and every point from northern Palestine to its south is in the reach of our rockets,” says Abu Obeida, a spokesperson for Hamas’s armed wing. The rocket is called the Ayyash 250, after the famous terror expert Yahya Ayyash. 2 lightly injured near Kiryat Gat following major barrage The Magen David Adom ambulance service says two people have suffered mild injuries from shrapnel in Zohar, a small community near Kiryat Gat, following the latest volley of over 100 rockets. Some 10 interceptions were observed over Tel Aviv. IDF: Total of 1,369 rockets launched since Monday, not including latest volley The IDF Home Front Command says that not including the latest barrage of over 100 rockets toward central Israel, a total of 1,369 projectiles have been launched thus far by Gaza terrorists since the fighting began Monday. Of the total, 1,031 landed in Israel, including 264 in inhabited areas. Drone said to enter Israel, explode over community; no casualties An unmanned aircraft entered hundreds of meters into Israeli territory and exploded over an Israeli community in the Sha’ar Hanegev region, causing no casualties, Channel 12 news reports. There have been many attempted drone attacks, mostly thwarted by the Israeli military. Germany vows ‘no tolerance’ for synagogue attacks after anti-Israel demonstrations Germany vows “unwavering” protection of its synagogues after scattered demonstrations over the escalating conflict in the Middle East saw protesters shout anti-Israeli slogans and burn Israeli flags. “There must be no tolerance for attacks against synagogues in our country,” Foreign Minister Heiko Maas tells the Funke media group, pledging “unwavering security” for Jewish temples in Germany. Protesters burned Israeli flags outside synagogues in Muenster and Bonn in western Germany earlier this week, with 16 people arrested. Last night, around 180 people shouted anti-Israeli slogans at a march in Gelsenkirchen, also in the west. Police say they prevented the protesters from marching on the city’s synagogue. In Hanover, police say they broke up a protest of around 550 people and prevented two protesters from burning an Israeli flag. Maas says German Jews should not be made scapegoats for the events in Israel “either in the street or on social media.” Germany’s Central Council of Jews, which represents about 200,000 Jews living in the country, called yesterday for stepped -p protection for Jewish institutions in the country as unrest flares between Israel and Palestinians. Hamas rocket targets Israel’s 2nd international airport near Eilat A rocket has fallen in the Hevel Eilot region, near Eilat, as Gaza terrorists appear to attempt to force Israel to completely close its skies. Palestinian terror groups say the rocket was targeting Israel’s second international airport, Ramon, where flights have been diverted after Ben Gurion Airport was also targeted. 4 hurt in latest rocket barrage, including boy, 7, in moderate condition The Magen David Adom ambulance service says four people have been injured following the barrage of over 100 rockets at central and southern Israel. A seven-year-old boy was moderately injured in his limbs on his way to a bomb shelter in central Israel and is being taken to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan, MDA says, without specifying the location or what exactly caused the injury. In the community of Zohar, near Kiryat Gat, a 60-year-old woman is being treated for mild glass shrapnel wounds, a 40-year-old woman was slightly hurt on her way to a bomb shelter, and another woman suffered an acute anxiety attack. Hamas says it launched suicide drones into Israel The Hamas terror group says it has launched a number of armed suicide drones from Gaza into southern Israel. Initial reports from Israeli residents of the Gaza border, who say they heard explosions overhead, indicate that the unmanned aircraft were shot down. There is no immediate confirmation from the Israel Defense Forces. Rocket travels 250 km to Eilat area, apparently the longest-range fired by Hamas The Hamas rocket that fell in the Hevel Eilot region, near Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat, appears to be the longest-range projectile ever fired by the Palestinian terror group into Israel. The rocket traveled some 250 kilometers into Israeli territory. Shortly before the launch, Hamas’s armed wing said it had begun using a new rocket that enables it to hit any point in Israel, called the Ayyash 250, after the terror chief Yahya Ayyash. The move, it said, is aimed at causing international flights to stop landing in Israel, including at Ramon airport near Eilat, after Ben Gurion Airport was targeted several times, causing flights to be diverted to Ramon. Armed drone from Gaza crash-lands in Israel One of the armed drones launched by Hamas into southern Israel crash-landed in an open field, causing no injury or damage, local officials say. According to the Sha’ar Hanegev regional council, the aircraft was disarmed by a police sapper. Singer urges IDF to reduce Gaza ‘to dust’ after rocket shard falls near his home Rocket shards from a successful interception fell near the southern Tel Aviv home of veteran Israeli singer Yishai Levi, causing him to call on the government to launch a ground operation inside the Gaza Strip. Speaking with Channel 12 news, Levi urges the forces “not to exit until they [Hamas] are [reduced to] dust.” “It was one centimeter from my backyard,” he tells the Ynet news site. “We heard a very loud boom at first, and then there was the sound of falling metal. I’m fine.” Netanyahu adviser in Newsweek op-ed: Stop promoting Hamas narrative Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s senior adviser Aaron Klein writes in a Newsweek op-ed that Hamas is intentionally trying to “set the Palestinian arena ablaze” in order “to solidify its own domestic position ahead of any election and to present itself as the savior of the Palestinian cause.” Klein calls the growing violence in Jerusalem over recent weeks part of a deliberate Hamas campaign, whose narrative many around the world have accepted. “To help quell this calculated Hamas terror campaign, the international community must immediately condemn the Palestinian aggression and fully support Israel’s right to self-defense,” writes Netanyahu’s adviser. “And the international news media must stop promoting Hamas’s transparently false pretenses that seem to legitimize the bloodshed.” IDF says it targeted Hamas anti-tank missile launcher placed in Gaza high-rise The IDF says its forces have targeted another Hamas anti-tank missile launcher placed in a Gaza high-rise building. The military also publishes footage from the attack in the southern Strip, adding that the terror group “deliberately places its military assets in the heart of the civilian population in Gaza.” Footage shows people rushing for shelter at Ben Gurion Airport amid rocket alarm Footage shared on social media shows people rushing for shelter at Ben Gurion airport after rocket alarms sounded there last night. Gazan terror groups have deliberately and openly targeted Israel’s main international airport in an effort to disrupt air travel to and from the Jewish state. IDF says it downed a drone that crossed from Gaza into Israel The IDF says it has brought down another drone launched from Gaza that entered Israeli territory. The military says the drone was closely monitored from the moment it crossed the border until it was downed. Jewish suspects in fatal shooting of Arab in Lod released on bail All four Jewish suspects in the fatal shooting of an Arab man in Lod earlier this week will be released under relatively lenient restrictive conditions, the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court rules, imposing a gag order on any detail that might disclose their identities due to death threats against them and their families. The four were previously remanded after arguing they shot the man in self-defense amid intense clashes and violence by Arab rioters in the Jewish-Arab city. After initially demanding they be held in custody, police backtracked and asked for the suspects to be released to house arrest for 10 days, with an additional two-week restraining order barring them from Lod. But the court doesn’t send them to house arrest, instead releasing them on bail and barring them from Lod for several days. A police representative has told the court the suspects’ version of events has received a boost over the last few days of investigation. Residents of Gaza-adjacent communities told to stay indoors due to attack drones Rocket alarms sound in Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip, as a widescale drone attack on the area is also reported. Residents of Gaza-adjacent communities are being ordered to stay indoors due to unmanned drones being launched by terror groups. They have caused no injuries thus far, and most were downed by the IDF. IDF nixes leave for combat troops as it prepares for possible ground operation The Israel Defense Forces announces it is canceling all weekend leave for combat soldiers as it prepares for the possibility of a ground operation in the Gaza Strip, as fighting there intensifies. The military has sent infantry troops and tanks from the Paratroopers Brigade, Golani Brigade and 7th Armored Brigade to the Gaza border. In addition, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says the military has called up 7,000 reservists. Roughly half of these are troops from air defense, artillery and medical units, and half serve in administrative and intelligence positions, Zilberman says. IDF says barrage at central, southern Israel consisted of only 25-30 rockets The Israel Defense Forces denies Hamas’s claims — widely echoed by Israeli media — that it fired some 100 rockets at central and southern Israel in its latest barrage. Rather, the army says, the terror group in fact launched 25 to 30 rockets in the attack. Israeli UN envoy urges Security Council to condemn ongoing Hamas rocket fire Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan has sent a letter to the Security Council calling on the top UN body to strongly condemn the ongoing rocket fire from Gaza and defend Israel’s right to defend itself. “Hamas, an internationally designated terrorist jihadist group supported by Iran, is responsible for these murderous attacks. The indiscriminate rocket fire constitutes a double war crime: targeting Israel’s civilian population and launching the rockets from within Gaza’s civilian neighborhoods and institutions,” Erdan writes. “Hamas is presenting itself as the ‘defender of Jerusalem and the holy sites.’ This is, of course, a lie. It is clear that Hamas premeditated this escalation in violence and terrorism and is happy to pay the price of casualties on both sides in order to strengthen itself politically,” he adds. He points out that “Israel has taken far-reaching de-escalatory steps to prevent any unrest and violence [including] prohibiting the entrance of Jews to the Temple Mount on Jerusalem Day. Palestinian terrorists responded by ramping up their terror, firing hundreds of rockets and missiles at Jerusalem, as well as other cities across Israel.” The ambassador concludes by stating that “the State of Israel is not interested in an escalation. However, Israel has the right and duty to defend its people and sovereignty and will continue to do so vigorously.” For the third time this week, the UN Security Council will be convening an emergency session Friday to discuss the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza. This meeting, however, will be broadcast live. Footage shows IDF fighter jet shooting down ‘suicide drone’ launched from Gaza The Israeli military releases video footage showing an F-16 fighter jet shooting down an armed suicide drone that was launched from the Gaza Strip toward a target off the coast. In the video, the fighter plane can be seen locking on to the “suicide drone,” which carried a roughly five-kilogram explosive payload, before destroying the unmanned aircraft with a missile. Since the outbreak of fighting, Hamas has launched a number of these drones, which the terror group says are assembled in Gaza, though the IDF believes that many of the components are smuggled into the beleaguered enclave. All of these have been downed by the Israeli military. Rocket sirens blare in Netivot, Gaza-adjacent communities A fresh volley of rocket is launched from Gaza as alarms sound in Netivot and Gaza-adjacent communities. Netanyahu says he could okay administrative detentions to quell Lod violence Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visits Lod, which has been the scene of major Jewish-Arab riots over the past few days, and says he’ll approve far-reaching measures to quell the violence, including deploying military forces or using the controversial measure known as administrative detention. “We have no bigger threat now than these pogroms, and we have no choice but to restore law and order via determined use of force,” the premier tells reporters. Administrative detention enables authorities to detain people for extended periods of time without leveling formal charges against them, in a practice decried by critics as undemocratic and abusive but defended by the security establishment as a necessary measure in cases where revealing the evidence would harm national security. After 5-year-old’s death, IDF orders residents to stay below bomb shelter windows The IDF orders the public to close all windows in their rocket shelters and stay below the bottom of the window, after 5-year-old boy Ido Avigal died from a rocket shard that penetrated his Sderot apartment’s designated safe room. “We had an irregular incident in Sderot of a shelter that was penetrated through the window,” says IDF Spokesperso Hidai Zilberman. “The window was standard. The irregularity was in the angle of the hit and its speed.” Entry to Lod barred, as curfew announced from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai announces that as of 5 p.m., entry to the central Israel city of Lod is prohibited due to the major riots and Jewish-Arab violence in recent days. A curfew will be in effect from 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. in an attempt to prevent a repeat of previous nights’ scenes of violence. Residents will be allowed to exit their homes only to receive urgent medical treatment, go to bomb shelters or other vital needs approved by the police. Gaza rocket penetrates roof of ‘rocket-proof’ Israeli kindergarten that was empty A rocket fired from Gaza has directly hit and penetrated the roof of an empty kindergarten in a community near the Strip, even though it had been approved as rocket-proof, Channel 12 news reports. The network airs footage from inside the kindergarten, showing extensive damage. Authorities are said to be examining how the rocket penetrated the building’s roof despite the work to make it a safe zone. Putin, UN chief Guterres jointly urge Israel and Palestinians to halt fighting Russian President Vladimir Putin and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres call on Israel and Palestinian terror groups to end the military confrontation that began this week. “In light of the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, it was stated that the primary task is to stop violent actions on both sides and ensure the safety of the civilian population,” the Kremlin says in a statement after their video call. Police chief said to oppose Netanyahu’s possible plan to send IDF troops to Lod After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he will consider sending IDF soldiers to Lod as part of efforts to quell the unprecedented violent riots in the Jewish-Arab city, Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai is quoted by Hebrew media as saying in closed meetings that he objects. Shabtai opposes using military forces for civilian policing, the reports say, since he believes IDF troops lack the training to deal with civilian populations. IDF strikes 4 ‘operational apartments’ used by Hamas commanders The IDF says it has launched strikes on four apartments of senior Hamas commanders in the Gaza Strip. In a statement, the military says Air Force planes bombed “operational apartments” of the deputy commander of Hamas’s Jabalia regiment in the northern Strip, as well as three company commanders in northern and central Gaza. All the apartments were allegedly used to direct recent rocket attacks at Israeli cities. IDF says it bombed Hamas intelligence center with dozens of operatives inside The Israel Defense Forces says it just conducted an airstrike on a Hamas intelligence facility with dozens of terrorist operatives inside. The military says the site served as the main command center for its surveillance network. It is not immediately clear how many Hamas members are killed in the strike. Fresh rocket alarms sound in Sderot, Netivot Fresh rocket sirens blare in Sderot, Netivot and various Israeli communities near Gaza. Heavy barrage targets southern Israel as 2 rockets hit, causing no casualties More, nonstop rocket sirens are heard in Israeli communities near Gaza and several interceptions are observed following a major barrage by Hamas terrorists. Alarms are also heard in the area of Beersheba and Rahat in the Negev. The Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council says two rockets landed in the region, causing no casualties. One landed inside a community, causing no damage, and another landed in an agricultural field and caused a blaze that is being dealt with by fire and rescue authorities. IDF Home Front Command extends emergency rules through Saturday The IDF Home Front Command extends its emergency restrictions for areas under threat of Gaza rockets until Saturday evening. The decision has been made following a situational assessment after the fighting has shown no sign of abating. The restrictions limit outdoor gatherings to 10 people and indoor gatherings to 100 people in areas of southern and central Israel targeted repeatedly over the coming days, including the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. They also forbid educational activities and say workplaces can only operate in places where a bomb shelter can be reached in time. Fresh rocket alarms sound in Beersheba Rocket alarms sound again in Beersheba as Gaza terrorists send heavy barrages toward southern Israel. There are no reports of recent casualties. IDF targets ‘operational apartment’ of Hamas drone chief The IDF says it has bombed the “operational apartment” of Samer Abu Daka, the head of Hamas’s drone operations, after the terror group launched many “suicide drones” toward Israel earlier today. The military says the apartment was used for military purposes. It also says the same apartment was targeted in the 2014 conflict. Gaza will run out of fuel by Sunday — Israeli defense official The Gaza Strip will run out of fuel for its electricity generators by Sunday, an Israeli defense official tells reporters. According to the official, who is speaking on condition of anonymity, Gaza is down to having just five hours of electricity per day, after having 16 hours per day on average before the fighting. Some of this is due to Israel shutting down the Kerem Shalom Crossing, which is normally used to send fuel into Gaza, and some of this is because rockets fired by terrorists in the enclave struck some of the power lines into the Strip near the city of Rafah. According to the official, three of the four turbines that normally run in Hamas’s power plant are currently out of service as a result of the fuel shortage. Gaza’s water supply has also been affected by the power cuts, limiting the amount of running water in the Strip to once every two days, the official says. According to the Israeli defense official, residents of the Gaza Strip appear to be extremely concerned about the fighting and are largely hiding in their homes. He says there is also anger among the population because the fighting has prevented them from celebrating the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Israel amassing troops to prepare for Gaza ground operation — IDF spokesperson Israel is amassing forces along the Gaza border to prepare for a potential ground operation, IDF Spokesperson Hidai Zilberman says. “We are gathering forces on the Gaza border, preparing them. They are studying the field and we will use them when we decide to,” Zilberman tells Channel 12 news. “The initiative is ours and time is on our side,” he declares. Heavy rocket fire at Beersheba as empty car suffers direct hit More, heavy rocket fire is launched toward Beersheba and other southern communities. Most of them land in open areas or are intercepted by the Iron Dome air-defense system, but one directly hits a car that was empty. Another lands in a backyard of a home in the Eshkol region, causing no casualties. Diplomatic source: Israel mulling ground operation in Gaza A senior diplomatic source quoted by Channel 12 news says Israel is considering a ground operation in Gaza in response to the continued heavy rocket fire from the Strip. The unnamed source says the option has been discussed by the security cabinet at the military’s request and that all options are being weighed. According to the network, over 200 rockets have been launched today by Palestinian terrorists, and a total of more than 1,600 have been launched since the start of the confrontation on Monday. Hamas health ministry says 87 Palestinians killed, 530 injured The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry says 87 people have been killed since the round of fighting began, including 18 children. The ministry says 530 people have been injured. Israel says most of the fatalities are either members of terror groups or victims of Hamas rockets that landed inside the Strip. Gantz approves recruitment of 9,000 more IDF reservists Defense Minister Benny Gantz gives the military approval to call up to 9,000 reservists as needed, in light of the ongoing fighting with terror groups in the Gaza Strip, his office says. The reservists would come from combat units and command center operators, to serve in the Southern Command, Central Command, and Northern Command, so that soldiers regularly stationed there could be sent on other missions, his office says. IDF says 160 rockets launched from Gaza today Some 160 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel by terror groups in the Gaza Strip since 7 a.m. today, the military says. Dozens of the incoming projectiles that were heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the Israel Defense Forces says. Another 40 projectiles were fired from Gaza toward Israel, but failed to clear the border and landed inside the enclave, according to the military. In total, nearly 1,600 rockets and mortar shells have been fired at Israel since the start of the fighting on Monday evening, according to the IDF’s tally. IDF soldier, Jewish paramedic seriously injured as riots renew in Lod, Jaffa As a nightly curfew at 8 p.m. in Lod nears, clashes are already reported in several Jewish-Arab cities, with rioters seriously injuring at least two Jewish men in separate incidents. The 19-year-old soldier is in serious condition after being beaten in Jaffa, and is suffering a skull fracture and a cerebral hemorrhage, Ichilov hospital says after the soldier drove there by himself. In Lod, a Jewish paramedic has reportedly been shot and is in serious condition, reports say. IDF bombs major Hamas rocket production center The IDF says it has bombed a central Hamas rocket production site and a Hamas navy military post in the central Gaza Strip. In addition, a number of other weapons production sites have been struck throughout the day, the military says. Far-right rioters filmed assaulting journalist in south Tel Aviv Footage from southern Tel Aviv shows journalists from the Kan public broadcaster being attacked and beaten by several far-right rioters. Reporter Yoav Zehavi has been beaten and has been taken to the hospital, while cameraman Roland Novitzky had his camera taken away. The attacker has reportedly been arrested. China says no Security Council meeting on Mideast conflict due to US objection A UN Security Council meeting planned for tomorrow to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian violence will not go ahead, a spokesman for China says. “There will be no SC meeting tomorrow,” the spokesman says, as diplomats maintain that the United States opposed it. IDF says some 1,750 rockets launched from Gaza since Monday The IDF says approximately 1,750 projectiles have been launched thus far by Gaza terrorists since the fighting began Monday, of which 300 failed to clear the border and landed inside the enclave. Hundreds of the incoming projectiles that were heading toward populated areas were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the Israel Defense Forces says. More rocket alarms sound in Israeli communities near Gaza Incoming rocket sirens blare in Ofakim and other Gaza-adjacent communities, as the almost non-stop rocket fire over the past few hours continues. Several Iron Dome interceptions are observed by residents in the area. There are no reports of recent casualties. Bennett rules out ‘change gov’t’ due to Gaza unrest, renews talks with Likud Yamina party leader Naftali Bennett has taken “off the table” the option of forming a government without Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud, due to the ongoing military conflict with Gaza terrorists, a political source says. Bennett has renewed his negotiations with Likud due to the emergency situation, and teams from both parties met today, the source says on condition of anonymity. That is a major U-turn for Bennett, who was reportedly already set to announce the formation of a so-called “change government” headed by himself and Yesh Atid chief Yair Lapid, when the round of conflict began. The potential government that had been negotiated included the Islamist Ra’am party, a local branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which is affiliated with the Hamas terror group against which Israel is currently fighting. Ra’am has suspended coalition talks until the hostilities end. Bennett explains in closed conversations that a government with Ra’am would not be able to deal with the current situation. He says the security situation is the top priority and that he is working to form a “broad national unity government.” He is thus canceling all the agreements with Lapid and saying that “when there is a wave of pogroms by Arabs across the country, and when IDF forces must be involved, this is a reality-changing event. “The change government being formed won’t be able to deal with it,” he says, according to the source. Biden says he doesn’t think Israel overreacted in its Gaza response US President Joe Biden says he does not think Israel has overreacted in its response to rocket fire from Gaza. “One of the things I’ve seen thus far is that there has not been a significant overreaction [by Israel],” he says, when asked at a press conference. “The question is how they get to a point where there is a significant reduction in the attacks, particularly the rocket attacks that are indiscriminately fired into population centers, but I expect that I’ll be having some more discussions,” Biden says, adding that various offices in his administration have been in frequent contact with not just the Israelis, but also the Egyptians, the Saudis and others on the matter. He describes his phone call yesterday with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as “brief.” Near-constant rocket fire from Gaza persists as sirens heard in Ofakim Incoming rocket sirens blare in Ofakim and surrounding towns, as the almost non-stop rocket fire over the past few hours continues. At least one Iron Dome interception is observed by residents in the area. There are no immediate reports of casualties. Bennett said to reach deal to back direct PM elections along with Ra’am Yamina party leader has reportedly reached a deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas for both Yamina and Ra’am to support the premier’s initiative to hold direct elections for prime minister. Channel 12 news reports that as part of the deal, Bennett and his No. 2 Ayelet Shaked will get reserved spots on the electoral slate of Netanyahu’s Likud party and will be made defense and foreign ministers. Hamas publishes footage of long-range rocket that allegedly hit near Eilat The Hamas terror group in Gaza releases a video of the “Ayyash 250” long-range rocket, named after the terror chief Yahya Ayyash, which the group claims to have fired toward the Ramon airport near Eilat. Earlier today, the rocket fell in the Hevel Eilot region, near Israel’s southernmost city, and appears to be the longest-range projectile ever fired by the Palestinian terror group into Israel. The rocket traveled some 250 kilometers (150 miles) into Israeli territory. Police officer shot, injured in Ramle as riots intensify A police officer has reportedly been injured from gunfire by Arab rioters at a junction in Ramle, as violence intensifies in several Jewish-Arab cities. Earlier, a 19-year-old soldier was seriously injured in Jaffa after being beaten, and two men were wounded in Lod. Additionally, far-right rioters attacked journalists from the Kan public broadcaster in south Tel Aviv. Police rescue Jewish family attacked after entering Umm al-Fahm by accident A Jewish family has been attacked by Arab rioters in Umm al-Fahm after entering the Arab city by accident, Hebrew media reports, as riots continue in many cities around the country. Police rescued the couple and three young children, along with the help of local civilians. They all sustained mild injuries. Rocket sirens blare in Ashkelon, Ashdod; several interceptions Rocket alarms sound in Ashkelon, Ashdod, and surrounding towns as Gaza terrorists send more barrages of rockets toward southern Israel. Several Iron Dome interceptions are observed by residents in the area. There are no reports of recent casualties. Lapid says Bennett ‘wrong’ to bolt, vows to keep trying to form government Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid vows to continue his efforts to form a government, despite losing the crucial support of Naftali Bennett’s Yamina — which means he no longer has a plausible path to a government. “Bennett is wrong, I will continue turning over every stone to form a government,” Lapid says in a press conference. “Change isn’t done when it’s convenient, it’s done when the path is the right one. I will keep working to form a government, and if needed, we will go to more elections and win.” New Hope won’t join Netanyahu government, opposes direct PM elections — reports Sources in Gideon Sa’ar’s New Hope party are quoted by several media outlets as saying they will not join a government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, appearing to continue to deny the incumbent premier an obvious path to a government. New Hope sources also say they will not join Yamina chief Naftali Bennett in backing Netanyahu’s push for direct elections for prime minister. Lebanese media: 3 rockets at northern Israel Lebanese media reports that three rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward northern Israel. This is not immediately confirmed by Israeli authorities. There are no reports of injuries or damage in the area. IDF: 3 rockets from Lebanon hit sea off northern Israel coast The Israel Defense Forces confirms that three rockets were fired from Lebanon toward the sea off Israel’s northern coast. The rockets caused no damage or injury as they hit the water, according to the military. As they were heading toward an unpopulated area, no sirens or air defenses were triggered. The IDF does not comment on who is behind the rocket attack. A Lebanese military source tells the country’s MTV news channel that a fringe Palestinian group appears to have launched the rockets, not the Hezbollah terrorist militia. US lifts indoor mask mandate for vaccinated people The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces it is lifting mask-wearing requirements for people fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” says CDC director Rochelle Walensky. Rockets from Lebanon reportedly launched from Palestinian refugee camp A spokesperson for the Lebanese security services tells Al-Jazeera that three rockets were fired towards Israel from the area of a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon. “The source of the rockets fired at Israel is unclear, and the investigation continues. The rockets that were fired towards northern Israel came from the vicinity of the Rashidieh refugee camp,” al-Jazeera reports, citing the Lebanese security services. Synagogue said torched in Lod amid riots A synagogue has reportedly been torched in Lod, as police again fail to contain raging riots in the central Israel city. More people — Jews, Arabs and police officers — have been injured in widespread clashes in the city and other Jewish-Arab cities. Dozens of rockets pound Ashdod, Ashkelon A heavy barrage of dozens of rockets targets the cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon, with many intercepted by the Iron Dome air-defense system. There are no immediate reports of casualties. Hamas says 103 Palestinians killed since Monday The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry raises its death toll to 103 Palestinians, 27 of whom were children. The rise in death toll comes after a number of reports in local Palestinian media of Israeli airstrikes targeting residential areas. According to initial reports, entire families were killed in some cases. Israel maintains that most of those killed in Gaza were terror group members or, in a few cases, died from errant Palestinian rockets. Heavy barrage fired at Ben Gurion Airport, Shfela region A heavy barrage of rockets is launched by Gaza terrorists toward Ben Gurion Airport and the Shfela region. Rockets continue to be launched toward Ashdod and Ashkelon as well, with one rocket landing in the latter city, but no immediate further details. Blinken says US ‘deeply concerned’ by violence inside Israel US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voices alarm at the rise of Jewish-Arab violence inside Israel, which comes alongside fighting with the Palestinian terror group, Hamas. “We’re also deeply concerned about the violence in the streets of Israel,” Blinken tells reporters, saying that Jews and Muslims marking holidays this week “deserve to take part in celebrations without fear of violence.” Residents of a town near Gaza briefly told to stay home due to security event Residents of a town in the Hof Ashkelon region along the northern Gaza border were ordered to lock their doors and remain near bomb shelters, due to a suspected security situation unfolding. A short while later, the event is deemed a false alarm, and citizens of the area are permitted to leave their homes again. Rocket lands in Ramle, causing fire but no injuries A fire erupted in an open area near the central city of Ramle amid a rocket barrage from Gaza. Police and the fire and rescue services say the massive blaze was not caused by a rocket landing there, rejecting preliminary reports claiming one had. There are no reports of injuries in the area. US opposes Friday Security Council meet on Gaza to ‘give time for diplomacy’ NEW YORK — Asked to respond to reports that the US blocked the UN Security Council from holding an open session Friday on the escalation in Israel and Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington would prefer it not be held so soon. “We are open to and supportive of an open discussion at the UN. I think we’re looking at early next week,” Blinken says at a press conference. “This I hope will give some time for diplomacy to have some effect and to see if we get a real deescalation and can then pursue this in the United Nations in that context,” he adds, noting that US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr is currently en route to Israel for talks with both sides aimed at bringing about a cease fire. Security Council diplomats tell The Times of Israel that the member states are hoping to hold the meeting on Tuesday after the US rebuffed their efforts to meet on Friday. The council has already met twice this week behind closed doors, during which the US blocked an effort by the 14 other member states to publish a joint statement on the matter that would have criticized both Israel and Hamas for the ongoing escalation. Senior Israeli defense official in Washington for talks with US counterpart Colin Kahl Defense Ministry Director of Policy and Political Military Affairs Zohar Palti met with US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl in Washington, the Pentagon says. The two discussed the US-Israel defense partnership and opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation, according to a US readout. They also discussed the recent rocket attacks from Gaza. Kahl “unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks directed at Israeli civilians and underscored US support for Israel’s right to self-defense,” the readout says. Kahl also underscored the US “enduring support for Israel’s security and Qualitative Military Edge, and conveyed the Administration’s support for a restoration of calm and protection of civilians,” it adds. Hamas chief speaks with UN envoy amid efforts to achieve ceasefire Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh speaks with United Nations envoy Tor Wennesland, official Hamas media reports. The United Nations, Egypt, Qatar, and other countries have reportedly been pushing for a ceasefire in the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas. The two discussed “the latest political developments,” Hamas media says. Sirens once again sound in Beersheba and Gaza periphery Sirens have once again sounded in communities in the Gaza periphery, as well as in Beersheba, signaling incoming rockets. 87-year-old woman dies after falling, hitting her head on way to shelter An 87-year-old woman has died after falling and hitting her head while running to a shelter in Shtulim, near Ashdod, reports indicate. IDF strikes Gaza anti-tank cells, Hamas cyber unit The Israel Defense Forces says it has attacked seven Hamas anti-tank cells in Gaza throughout the day. Two of them were struck in the last hour, the military says. The army also says it struck two buildings during the day belonging to the Hamas cyber unit. The military says the buildings in Gaza City were identified in a joint operation of the Computer Service Directorate and the Military Intelligence Directorate. Rocket explodes between Beersheba buildings During the last barrage toward the southern city of Beersheba, a rocket explodes between buildings, causing damage. Medics at the scene are treating two suffering from anxiety; no physical injuries are reported. IDF says air and ground forces currently attacking Gaza The IDF announces that air and ground forces are currently attacking the Gaza Strip. The army gives no further information, saying details will follow. Earlier today, a senior diplomatic source quoted by Channel 12 news says Israel is considering a ground operation in Gaza in response to the continued heavy rocket fire from the Strip. The unnamed source says the option has been discussed by the security cabinet at the military’s request and that all options are being weighed. According to the network, over 200 rockets have been launched today by Palestinian terrorists, and a total of more than 1,600 have been launched since the start of the confrontation on Monday. 8-year-old Jewish girl wounded in head when car stoned near Beersheba An 8-year-old Jewish girl was wounded after being hit in the head by a rock thrown at a car she was traveling in near Beersheba, medics say. The girl sustained moderate injuries and was taken to Soroka Hospital for further treatment. The stone-throwers are believed to have been from a nearby Bedouin village. Israel pummels northern Gaza with airstrikes, artillery and tank fire The Israel Defense Forces launches a massive bombardment on targets in the northern Gaza Strip, using planes, helicopters and other aircraft, as well as tanks and various artillery batteries. This is not yet a ground invasion, but appears to be the largest round of strikes conducted by Israel so far in this round of fighting. Netanyahu: We are exacting a heavy price on Hamas, operation will continue Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel is exacting a heavy toll on Hamas in the Gaza Strip and will continue with the operation for as long as needed. “I said that we would exact a very heavy price on Hamas, we are doing this and we will continue with great force. The final word has not been said and this operation will continue for as long as needed,” Netanyahu says in a statement from his office. The prime minister says Israel is dealing with a two-pronged struggle, the fighting in Gaza and the Jewish-Arab conflicts inside the country. He vows to restore law and order, and calls on Israelis not to take the law into their own hands. Hamas: Israel hits Gaza with 150 airstrikes in minutes As Israel conducts a widespread bombardment across the northern Gaza Strip, Hamas media claims that more than 150 Israeli airstrikes took place over the past few minutes. According to the terror group’s health ministry, the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli airstrikes is now 109. Twenty-eight of them were children, it said. “The criminal enemy carries out show raids aimed at sabotage and destruction. Their motivation is their inability to confront the resistance. It will not affect the capabilities of the resistance at all, God willing,” a Hamas spokesperson says. IDF order all Israelis living within 4km of Gaza border into bomb shelters The Israel Defense Forces orders everyone within 4 kilometers (2.5) miles to enter a bomb shelter and remain there until further notice. This appears to be a precautionary measure as the military anticipates a significant retaliation from terror groups in the Strip as Israeli forces conduct a massive barrage on targets in northern Gaza. Rocket sirens wail in southern Israel, Ashdod and Beersheba Rocket warning sirens are going off in southern Israel and in the cities of Ashdod and Beersheba. The sirens sound as Israel launches a major bombardment of Gaza. Hamas says it fired 50 rockets. Rockets are fired towards Israel from Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on May 14, 2021. (Photo by SAID KHATIB / AFP) US evacuates 120 Pentagon personnel out of Israel WASHINGTON – The US Defense Department has flown about 120 personnel out of Israel as a precaution in light of the ongoing violence there. That’s according to Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, who says the American personnel departed on Thursday on a US Air Force C-17 transport plane. They had been in Israel to plan for a future bilateral exercise. Kirby said the conference was scheduled to end this week but the exit was accelerated by a few days. There has been a dangerous escalation this week between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas militant rulers. Hamas sent a heavy barrage of rockets deep into Israel on Thursday as Israel pounded Gaza with more airstrikes and shells and called up 9,000 more reservists who could be used to stage a ground invasion. Dozens of rockets intercepted by Iron Dome, building hit in Ashdod The Iron Dome system intercepts dozens of rockets launched by Hamas at Ashdod, Beersheba and communities in the south. Video shows most of the rockets exploding in midair. Hamas said it fired 50 rockets. ???? Warning sirens being activated in #Beersheba, southern #Israel as the #IronDome intercepts multiple rockets. pic.twitter.com/bNiz7tbu7n — ʀᴀᴠᴇᴇɴ ᴀᴜᴊᴍᴀʏᴀ (@raveenaujmaya) May 13, 2021 Channel 12 says one building was hit in Ashdod, causing a local power failure. There are no immediate reports of injuries. US now backs Security Council meet on Sunday to ‘give time for diplomacy’ After blocking a Security Council meeting for Friday, the US now backs one for Sunday to ‘give time for diplomacy’ “The UN Security Council will meet to discuss the situation in Israel and Gaza on Sunday,” US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield tweets. Her announcement comes hours after her office blocked an effort to hold the week’s third emergency session on Friday, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it was to “give time for diplomacy” efforts to play out. US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr is currently en route to Israel for talks with both sides aimed at bringing about a ceasefire. “The US will continue to actively engage in diplomacy at the highest levels to try to de-escalate tensions,” Thomas-Greenfield says. Security Council diplomats tell The Times of Israel that the US had been pushing to hold the meeting only on Tuesday after rejecting the idea of a Friday session. However, after pressure from Norway, China and Tunisia who requested the meeting along with several other missions, Washington agreed to hold an open session on Sunday. The emergency meetings on Monday and Wednesday earlier this week had been held behind closed doors. During those sessions, the US blocked an effort by all 14 other member states to issue a joint statement on the violence that condemned both sides. IDF appears to mislead foreign media on ‘Gaza ground invasion’ The Israel Defense Forces appears to have misled foreign news outlets into believing that the military had launched a ground invasion into the Strip during its large-scale bombardment of northern Gaza. In its initial English-language statement, the military ambiguously phrased where its ground forces were located during the attack, saying “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” When asked to clarify the matter, if there had been a ground invasion, the IDF’s English-language spokesperson Jonathan Conricus responded: “Yes. As it’s written in the statement. Indeed, ground forces are attacking in Gaza. That is that they are in the Strip.” While this was technically correct, as some IDF troops were positioned in an enclave technically within Gaza territory — but for all intents and purposes under Israeli control — such a placement does not reasonably represent a “ground invasion.” This led to widespread, false reports throughout the world, including in The New York Times and Washington Post, that Israel had launched a ground campaign in the Gaza Strip, which it had not done as of 2 a.m. Friday. Progressive Democrats tear into Israel from US House floor In brief speeches from the House floor, a group of progressive Democrats lambasts Israel for its response to Gaza rocket fire and over its treatment of Palestinians more broadly. Fighting back tears throughout her remarks, Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is of Palestinian descent, says, “You’d hardly know Palestinians existed at all” based on recent statements from the Biden administration regarding the Gaza violence. “We’re currently blocking the UN from calling for a ceasefire,” says Rep. Ilhan Omar, panning the Democratic administration and blasting Israel for its airstrikes in Gaza, which are in response to Hamas rocket fire. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez criticizes Israel more broadly for its actions in the West Bank and slams the government for banning Tlaib and Omar into the country in 2019 due to their support for BDS. “We are anti-war, we are anti-occupation, and we are anti-apartheid,” says Rep. Cori Bush, adding that she stands in solidarity with Palestinians just as Palestinian activists stood with Black Americans in Ferguson Missouri. Rep. Ayana Pressley calls for “equal outrage” over “state violence” be it in the US or Israel, panning Jerusalem for its crackdown on Palestinian protesters. Reps. Marc Pocan and Betty McCollum speak in favor of legislation that they’ve co-sponsored, which seeks to prohibit US aid to Israel from being used in certain Israeli actions in the West Bank and would require the White House to compose an annual report detailing how much aid goes to such actions. As the lawmakers spoke, staffers placed pictures of Palestinian children injured in Israeli airstrikes behind them. Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who does not back the legislation gives a more moderate, but emotional speech, saying she is “horrified and saddened by the ongoing escalation of the painful cycle of violence.” “Israel has the right to defend herself, but in the end, there are no winners,” she says, urging the Biden administration to broker a ceasefire. Police arrest dozens in riots, clashes across the country Riots and clashes between Jews and Arabs continue into the early hours of Friday morning, with police making dozens of arrests. In Musmus, near Haifa, police arrested 11 residents for throwing stones, setting tires on fire and damaging traffic lights. Police said they used “riot dispersal means,” but did not elaborate. In Tel Aviv, police arrested two men who were carrying knives with the intent to cause a disturbance, police said. In Beersheba, 13 people were arrested, police said. Law enforcement said they used social media to identify people planning an illegal gathering. Those arrested were carrying an assortment of homemade weapons. US issues travel advisory for Israel, West Bank and Gaza The US State Department raises its travel advisory for Israel, the West Bank and Gaza due to ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas and ethnic riots in Israel. The advisory had been lowered to a “Level 2 – Exercise Increased Caution” as coronavirus cases have petered out, but has now been raised to a “Level 3 – Reconsider Travel.” “Rockets continue to impact the Gaza periphery and areas across southern and central Israel, including Jerusalem,” the State Department notes. “There has been a marked increase in protests and violence throughout Israel. Recent incidents of violence include vandalism, rock-throwing, burning of vehicles and attacks on passersby. Protests and violence may continue to occur, some with little or no warning,” the statement adds, in reference to ethnically motivated mob violence targeting Arab and Jewish bystanders across the country in recent days. Medics evacuate an injured man during clashes between Arab and Jews in Acre, northern Israel, May 12, 2021. Photo by Roni Ofer/Flash90 “The Travel Advisory for Israel and the West Bank and Gaza currently recommends US citizens: Reconsider travel to Israel due to armed conflict and civil unrest, and exercise increased caution to Israel due to COVID-19, travel restrictions, and quarantine procedures instituted by the Government of Israel. Do not travel to the West Bank due to COVID-19, travel restrictions and quarantine procedures instituted by the Palestinian Authority. Do not travel to Gaza due to COVID-19, terrorism, civil unrest and armed conflict.” 60-year-old man critically injured in Ashkelon rocket strike A 60-year-old man is critically injured after being hit by shrapnel from a rocket fired from Gaza, medics say. Magen David Adom medics treated the man and transferred him to Barzilai Hospital and are searching the area for any further casualties. Gaza terror groups are sporadically firing rockets at Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheba and communities in the south, as the IDF launches a major bombardment of northern Gaza. Army clarifies: Currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip The Israel Defense Forces clarifies that there are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. An English-language statement and comments from a spokesperson, saying that there were ground forces in Gaza, led to multiple foreign news organizations reporting that Israel had launched a ground offensive. “Clarification: There are currently no IDF ground troops inside the Gaza Strip. IDF air and ground forces are carrying out strikes on targets in the Gaza Strip,” the army now says. Moderate Democrats offer ‘unwavering’ support for Israel from House floor In brief speeches from the House floor, a group of more moderate Democrats are expressing their solidarity as it responds to Hamas rocket fire from Gaza. The lawmakers spoke in front of a map of Israel full of pinpoints representing where rockets had targeted in recent days. Rep. Debbi Wasserman Schultz offers “unwavering and steadfast support for the state of Israel” and says Hamas is “single-handedly responsible” for the ongoing violence. She calls for a two-state solution and laments the loss of life to both sides. “Even though we may not always agree about Israel’s policies, we should be very clear that nothing, nothing justifies a terrorist organization firing rockets at our allies,” says Rep. Josh Gottheimer. Rep. Brad Schneider insists “Israel is rightfully responding to [Hamas] attacks, defending its citizens and protecting its borders.” He notes the large discrepancy in casualties between the sides, but argues that Israel goes out of its way to avoid civilian casualties, while Hamas does the opposite. “Please don’t be fooled by false choices. Israel and Hamas? If I am asked [to choose] between a terrorist organization and our democratic ally, I will stand with Israel every day of the week,” says Rep. Ted Deutch. Rep. Kathy Manning notes having experienced what it’s like to be in Sderot when rocket sires have gone off and says she attended an IDF briefing earlier today where she was told that Israel has only been targeting terrorists in its counterstrikes. “Who would turn a cheek when their mere existence is being questioned,” says Rep. Elaine Luria, who adds that she chooses to stand with Israel ‘as an American Jew.'” UN secretary-general calls for Gaza ceasefire ‘out of respect for spirit of Eid’ NEW YORK — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for Israel and Hamas to hold their fire out of respect for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr being celebrated today. “Out of respect for the spirit of Eid, I appeal for an immediate de-escalation and cessation of hostilities in Gaza and Israel. Too many innocent civilians have already died. This conflict can only increase radicalization and extremism in the whole region,” he tweets. Sanders pushes Biden to pick envoy to Israel who can also engage with Palestinians US Senator Bernie Sanders weighs in on the growing debate over who will be the next US ambassador to Israel. “As President Biden considers his choice for Ambassador to Israel, I encourage him to choose someone who can represent our country in an even-handed way, and who can engage not only with Israel but with the Palestinians as well,” Sanders tweets. “The role of the United States should be to bring the peoples of the region together, not simply to support a right-wing Israeli government.” Sources familiar with the matter have told The Times of Israel that former State Department official Thomas Nides and former Florida congressman Robert Wexler are the top candidates for the job. Biden is expected to name his nominee in the coming weeks. More progressive voices like Sanders have been critical of the idea that Nides could be the nominee, saying he does not have as much familiarity with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the parties involved. A group of Democrats, led by Rep. Ted Deutch, have appealed to Biden to back Wexler. Police chief said to blame extreme-right MK Ben Gvir for fanning violence Police chief Kobi Shabtai tells Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that extreme-right MK Itamar Ben Gvir is responsible for ongoing Arab-Jewish riots, Channel 12 reports. During a morning briefing, Shabtai says that every time police appear to be getting an area under control, Ben Gvir, the Kahanist member of the Religious Zionist party, shows up to fan the flames. “The person who is responsible for this Intifada is Itamar Ben Gvir. It started with the Lehava protest at Damascus Gate,” Shabtai says. “It continued with provocations in Sheikh Jarrah, and now he is moving around with Lehava activists.” MK Itamar Ben-Gvir (front), head of the Jewish extremist Otzma Yehudit party, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem on May 6, 2021. (Ahmad Gharabli/AFP) Lehava opposes intermarriage and assimilation of Jews and non-Jews, as well as LGBT rights, and tries to stifle any public activity by non-Jews in Israel, including coexistence events. Lawmakers across the political spectrum have tried to designate it as a terrorist group. “Yesterday police managed to calm things in Acre, when the activists showed up in a bus and caused an uproar. The police don’t have the tools to deal with it.” Ben Gvir responds to the report, saying that Shabtai should be fired, accusing the police of failing to use enough force to subdue Arab protests. Two more men wounded in Ashklelon rocket attacks Medics say another two men have been treated for injuries sustained in a rocket attack on Ashkelon. A man in his 50s was in a serious condition with a shrapnel wound to the stomach, and a 90-year-old man was lightly hurt with a head injury, the Magen David Adom says. Earlier they reported a 60-year old man was critically wounded in the attack White House pushing ceasefire but recognizes sides not there yet — source While the Biden administration has been pushing for de-escalation in the Gaza-Israel violence, it recognizes that a ceasefire in the next couple of days is unlikely, a source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke yesterday with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, but there is a recognition on the secretary’s part that Ramallah’s influence is limited at this point, given that the rocket fire is coming from political rival Hamas in Gaza, the source says. The Biden administration has been in touch with Qatar hoping the Gulf kingdom that provides significant humanitarian aid to Gaza would be able to pressure the terror group into agreeing to a ceasefire, the source adds. Rockets sirens sound in communities near Gaza Rocket warning sirens are sounding in Israeli communities near the border with Gaza. The early morning warnings sound after a night of rocket fire from Gaza that wounded three people with a hit in Ashkelon. IDF shoots down Hamas drone The IDF says its air defenses have shot down a Hamas drone that crossed into Israel. “The airforce tracked the drone until it was downed,” the army says. The incident comes a day after an F-16 shot down an armed Hamas “suicide drone” that tried to enter Israeli airspace.

>> This article is no longer being updated. Click here for all the latest updates Fighting between Israel and Hamas escalated in what has become the heaviest flare-up since the 2014 Gaza. At least 83 people were killed in the Strip and seven in Israel, in the most intensive aerial exchanges for years. Israel's unwanted war: LISTEN to Anshel PfefferIsrael carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza, as Palestinian militants fired more than a thousand rockets at central and southern Israel since Monday. The fighting prompted international concern that the situation could spiral out of control, as well as mediation efforts for a ceasefire. Tensions had been building up over the past week, with clashes between Israeli forces and protesters in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and the Temple Mount, and spilled into violent attacks by civilians across Israel, targeting both Jews and Arabs. LIVE UPDATES 08:03 A.M. Gaza death toll climbs to 115, 600 reported wounded, Health Ministry says The health ministry in Gaza the number of Palestinian casualties has climbed to 115, including 27 minors and 11 women, while the number of wounded rose to 600. (Jack Khoury) 07:38 A.M. Israeli army strike 150 Hamas targets in northern Gaza More than 160 jets have carried out airstrikes in northern Gaza overnight Thursday, attacking some 150 Hamas targets, the Israeli army said in a statement Friday. הזרוע הצבאית של החמאס ותיעוד חדש לשיגור כתב"מים לישראל. בשעות האחרונות הארגון מתמקד גם במלחמת הסברה ותודעה כולל הודעה על שיגור טיל חדש בשם עייאש שהטווח שלו 250 ק"מ. A video posted by Hamas' military wing showing the launch of drones toward Israel.The army added that the overnight strikes targeted Hamas underground infrastructure. (Yaniv Kubovich) 07:33 A.M. Rocket sirens renew in Ashdod, Ashkelon, surrounding communities 07:18 A.M. Father, three daughters killed following airstrike, sources say A father and three of his daughters were killed in northern Gaza following an Israeli army airstrike, medical sources in the Gaza Strip say. Many residents, who live in the northern part of the Strip, left their homes tonight, supposedly because of a potential IDF strike. (Jack Khoury) 5:40 A.M. Sirens sound in communities close to Gaza border 4:17 A.M. Sirens renew in Ashdod, surrounding communities After over an hour of quiet, rocket launches from Gaza to Ashdod and other southern Israeli communities rewnewed, with sirens sounding across the region. (Haaretz) 3:02 A.M. Hamas sees us as 'weak but arrogant' Shabtai Ephraim, a resident of Ashkelon whose building was hit by a rocket, told Haaretz that "Hamas recognizes us as weak on one hand and arrogant on the other, so we get (rockets)." In the latest barrage of rocket fire launched from Gaza, five rockets landed in Ashkelon. One of them hit a residential building and seriously injured a 60-year-old man, receiving debris to his stomach. Another man, aged 90, sustained light injuries when he was hit in the head on the way to a bomb shelter. The two were evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center. (Aaron Rabinowitz) 2:40 A.M. Right-wing activists target Arab-owned business in Lod Dozens of right-wing activists, among them supporters of the La Familia group, vandalized and lit Arab busineses on fire in Lod earlier this evening. In one instance, the activists threw stones at an Arab family in the presence of police officers. In a separate event, they threw stones at a car, lit it on fire and flipped it on the road. The activists also tried to light an Arab-owned corner store on fire, where one was heard screaming 'we're going to light Lod on fire' (Bar Peleg) 2:31 A.M. 60-year-old man in serious condition after direct hit in Ashkelon Medics are treating a 60-year-old man who is in a serious condition after being hit by rocket debris, an MDA spokesperson said. The man was evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. (Aaron Rabinowitz) 2:30 A.M. UN to proceed with security council meeting despite U.S. objection The UN Security Council will publicly discuss the worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants on Sunday, diplomats said after the United States earlier objected to a meeting on Friday. (Reuters) 2:27 A.M. Red alert sirens sound in Ashkelon, Gaza border communities 2:13 A.M. Ongoing sirens in Ashkelon, communities in Israel's south 1:34 A.M. Sirens sound in southern Judean hills, Gaza border communities 1:25 A.M. Rocket hits area near residential building in Ashkelon No injuries were reported in the strike. (Yaniv Kubovich) 1:16 A.M. Gaza Health Ministry: 109 killed in IDF strikes, 621 injured The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced that 109 have been killed since Monday in IDF strikes, 27 of which were children and youth, and 11 were women. 621 have been injured in the strikes. (Haaretz) 1:05 P.M. Hamas spokesperson says they will fire new rockets at 1A.M. Spokesperson Abu Abadia has confirmed that Hamas will fire new rockets towards Israel at 1A.M. (Jack Khoury) 1:01 A.M. Heavy rocket fire above communities in Israel's south Sirens are sounding across communities in Israel's south, including Be'er Sheva. Meanwhile, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed residents of communities on the Israel-Gaza border with Israel to stay in their shelters until further notice. (Yaniv Kubovich) 12:32 A.M. Netanyahu: We will continue to attack Hamas, operation will continue as needed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night (Friday) that Hamas will pay a "very heavy price" for their actions. "We will continue to do what we're doing with great intensity. The last word has not yet been uttered, and this operation will continue as long as necessary." Netanyahu added that "we will give complete backing to the police, the Border Police and the rest of the security forces to restore law and order to the cities of Israel - we will not tolerate anarchy." Netanyahu added, "I call once again on the citizens of Israel not to take the law into their own hands." (Jonathan Lis) 12:22 A.M. IDF carries out ground, air strikes in Gaza The military is attacking targets in Gaza, by the ground and air, the IDF said. The IDF has told residents of western Negev communities to stay close to shelter, and confirmed that loud booms in the area were a result of IDF fire. (Almog Ben Zikri) 12:18 A.M. 87-year-old woman dies after falling on way to bomb shelter An 87-year-old woman has died from injuries sustained after falling on her way to the bomb shelter in Shtulim, southern Israel. Hatzalah medics tried to rescuscitate her, yet declared her death at the scene. (Almog Ben Zikri) THURSDAY 11:53 P.M. IDF attacks two Hamas anti-tank cells, Hamas cyber headquarters The IDF has confirmed that it hit two anti-tank missile cells in Gaza, bringing the total count of cells it destroyed today to seven. The IDF added that it targeted two buildings which housed Hamas cyber units. (Yaniv Kubovich) 11:50 P.M. Rocket hits between two buildings in Be'er Sheva A rocket which fell between two houses in Be'er Sheva caused damage to the area; no injuries have been reported. (Almog Ben Zikri) 11:29 P.M. Rocket alert sirens sound in Be'er Sheva, southern Israel 10:25 P.M. Sources say rocket fire from Lebanon committed by small Palestinian group Rocket fire from Lebanon toward Israel was the work of a small Palestinian group and occurred without Hezbollah's knowledge, according to Lebanese defense sources. (Jack Khoury) 10:18 P.M. Gaza Health Ministry says death toll rises to 103 The health ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinian fatalities has risen to 103, including 27 minors and 11 women, while the number of wounded rose to 580. (Haaretz) 10:13 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in cities in central and southern Israel, including Lod, Ramle and Ashdod 10:04 P.M. Rocket sirens activated again in Ashdod 9:59 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza border communities 9:39 P.M. Three rockets fired from Lebanon toward sea, military says Three rockets were fired from Lebanon at the sea, near the shores of northern Israel, the military said. No sirens were activated. Residents in the north of Israel reported hearing echoes of blasts. Authorities instructed residents to continue their routine as normal. The Gaza war in the summer of 2014 saw rockets fired from Lebanon by Palestinian organizations seeking a display of solidarity with residents of Gaza.( Yaniv Kubovich and Noa Shpigel) 9:33 P.M. Rocket sirens activated in Ashkelon 9:01 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon, Gaza border communities 8:21 P.M. Biden urges fewer rocket attacks as U.S. objects to UN meeting on Israeli-Palestinian escalation U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday called for a de-escalation of violence in the Middle East as the conflict in Gaza intensified, saying he wants to see a significant reduction in rocket attacks. Biden, speaking to reporters at the White House, also said he expects to have more talks with leaders in the region. The United States also objected to a request by China, Norway and Tunisia for a public, virtual meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss the worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants, diplomats said. Click here to read the full story... (Reuters) 8:20 P.M. White House says Egypt, Tunisia and others can help de-escalate conflict Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in the region can play a short-term role in de-escalating the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. (Reuters) 8:18 P.M. Bennett says Lapid government is off the table, renews talks with Netanyahu's Likud Yamina leader Naftali Bennett has said in a closed-door meeting between members of his party and Likud representatives on Thursday that a "government of change," composed of the parties that seek to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is off the table. He said that given the state of emergency in mixed Arab-Jewish cities, the planned makeup of the government led by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Bennett won't be able to manage the situation because it has become necessary to deploy military troops and conduct arrests. He said that doing so would be impossible with Mansour Abbas and his United Arab List party. Read the full story here... 7:22 P.M. Gantz approves calling up 2,000 more reservists Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved calling up 2,000 additional reservists, bringing the total to 9,000. (Almog Ben Zikri) 7:21 P.M. Army: 160 rockets fired at Israel since morning The military said that 160 rockets were fired at Israel between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M., with around 30 of them falling short and landing inside Gaza. (Haaretz) 7:01 P.M. Rocket falls in yard in southern Israel, fails to explode A rocket fell in the yard of a house in Eskhol Regional Council. It failed to explode and a sapper was called to the scene. There were no injuries. (Almog Ben Zikri) 6:55 P.M. Fighting severely affecting Gazans, Israeli defense official says A defense official speaking with reporters said that the ongoing fighting is severely affecting Gaza residents' quality of life, with three out of the four turbines producing electricity for the enclave out of commission because of a lack of fuel and the remaining turbine providing five hours of electricity a day. The fuel shortage has also interfered with the functioning of water pumps, the official said. Civilians and the Health Ministry in Gaza have been reporting that residents are afraid to leave their houses because of Israeli airstrikes and rockets falling short of their targets and falling within Gaza. According to the enclave's health ministry, 87 people have been killed and some 500 wounded in Gaza. (Yaniv Kubovich) 6:43 P.M. Sirens activated again in Be'er Sheva, Negev communities 6:30 P.M. Military says it struck apartment used for operations by head of Hamas drone program The military said it struck a Gaza apartment being used for operations by Hamas' drone program. (Yaniv Kubovich) 6:24 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in Be'er Sheva 6:02 P.M. Rocket sirens blare in Be'er Sheva 5:57 P.M. Rocket sirens blare in Ashkelon, several other southern communities 5:45 P.M. Military says it struck four apartments used by Hamas commanders The military said it struck four apartments in Gaza used by Hamas commanders for operations, including one used by the deputy commander of the organization's Jabalya Battalion, which fired the most recent volley of rockets. (Yaniv Kubovich) 5:37 P.M. Defense officials say rate of Gaza rocket fire surprised military While senior military officials have said they were not surprised by any actions by Hamas uring the current round of fighting, some defense officials have admitted that the rate of the rocket fire was unexpected. Some 1,600 rockets have been fired in the few days of fighting, with the largest single barrage being 140 rockets fired by Hamas at Ashkelon. Some 200 rockets have been fired at cities in central Israel. In closed-door meetings, the issue of flawed intelligence on Hamas' long-range rockets was also raised. Up to now, the military believed the longest-range rocket possessed by the group was the R-160, which has a maximum range of 160 kilometers. A rocket fired at the Ramon airport near Eilat – over 200 kilometers away from the launch point – came as a surprise to some in the military. As of Thursday afternoon, the military had thwarted five attempts by Hamas to launch explosives-laden drones into Israel. The air force has meanwhile been striking Gaza at an estimated rate of over 100 attacks a day. So far, four high-rise buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, and some 60 operatives in Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed, according to the military. Around 160 rocket launchers have been destroyed, as well. The airstrikes have been aimed at significantly damaging Hamas' rocket production sites and capabilities, including the assassination of senior members of its rocket program. The military has fired over 600 interception missiles so far. (Yaniv Kubovich) 5 P.M. Netanyahu: Government considering using military troops and administrative detentions to put down riots Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the government was considering deploying military troops to cities where riots have been taking place, and that the police commissioner has been given approval to do so. The government was also considering conducting administrative detentions, meaning arrests made without the suspect appearing before a judge, of rioters. "Our goal is to bring results and to bring them quickly," Netanyahu said. "We are hearing whispers about fears of inquiry committees. We will give you all the tools. You have the support, don't be afraid." The use of administrative detention and troops is only possible where a state of emergency has been declared, which has so far only been the case in Lod. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said, in closed discussions, said that he did not believe soldiers needed to be brought in. "The police can handle the incidents," Shabtai said, according to a source familiar with the details of the conversation.Click here to read the full story... (Jonathan Lis) 4:41 P.M. Multiple rocket sirens in communities in south over past hour 4:30 P.M. Military instructs public to remain below window height The military said that following a probe into the death of a five-year-old who was inside a safe room on Wednesday, the public should remain below the height of any windows inside their shelters when taking cover during a rocket alert. The boy's death occurred because of an extremely rare circumstance in which a fragment broke through the steel plate covering the window, the military said. (Almog Ben Zikri) 4:21 P.M. Military says 7,000 reservists called up, leave canceled for all combat units The military said it has canceled leave for all combat units and has so far called up 7,000 reservists, mostly those working with the Iron Dome defense system and medics. (Yaniv Kubovich) 3:35 P.M. Israel says it struck anti-tank missile launchers in Gaza high-rise The military said it struck another anti-tank missile launcher in Gaza, this time located in a high-rise building in the southern part of the Strip, following a series of such strikes throughout the day. (Yaniv Kubovich) 3:21 P.M. Explosive drone blows up over southern Israel An explosive drone launched from Gaza detonated in the skies above Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council in the Negev. There were no injuries. (Almog Ben Zikri) 3:15 P.M. Emergency services say four being treated after latest rocket barrage Emergency services said they were treating four people in light to moderate condition after the latest volley of rockets, including a seven-year-old boy who was moderately hurt while trying to reach shelter. Near the Negev moshav of Lachish, paramedics evacuated a woman lightly wounded by glass shards to the hospital, while another was lightly injured while trying to reach shelter and a third was receiving treatment for shock. (Haaretz) 3:03 P.M. Israel's Ramon Airport briefly suspends operations after Hamas says fired rocket Israel's southern Ramon airport was targeted by Palestinian rocket fire and was operating as usual, an Israeli official said, after the Islamist group Hamas said it had fired a rocket at the airport. The airport's operations were briefly suspended after a rocket landed in the area. Israel has redirected some flights to Ramon Airport, which is near the Red Sea resort Eilat, from its main Tel Aviv-area airport, Ben-Gurion International Airport, due to the security situation. (Reuters) 3 P.M. Police surveying damage in stricken moshav Following a barrage of rockets that fell on Zohar, police spokesperson said that they are working to locate sites of damage in the southern Israel moshav. There are preliminary reports of injuries and a hit on a building. (Josh Breiner) 2:40 P.M. Hamas says it fired rockets towards southern Israel airport Hamas' military wing stated that it fired a new type of rocket toward the Ramon Airport in Eilat, in southern Israel, where many flights are being redirected from Ben-Gurion International Airport. The novel type of rocket has a range of 220 kilometres. Earlier on Thursday, Israel's Civil Aviation Authority has announced that all commercial flights arriving at Ben-Gurion International Airport will be redirected to Ramon Airport in Eilat, in light of the escalating security situation.( Jack Khoury) 2:27 P.M. Rocket barrages target central, southern Israel Sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv area, the Jerusalem area and in and around Be'er Sheva and Ashkelon in Israel's south. Witnesses reported hearing sounds of explosions. (Haaretz) 2:01 P.M. Explosions heard in Ashkelon amid sirens Witnesses reported the sound of explosions in Ashkelon, as sirens went off in the city bordering the Gaza Strip. (Nir Hasson) 1:47 P.M. Hamas: We have a lot more 'surprises' if Israeli strikes continue The spokesman for the Hamas military wing, Abu Ubaida, said the group's "reaction so far was only a small part" of its capabilites, warning "as much as Israel intensifies [its strikes], we will increase our attacks, and we have plenty more surprises." The Hamas statement also hailed the Palestinians' "steadfastness," adding "all parts of Palestinian society in all areas" are involved in the current camapign, referring to protests and clashes in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and across Israel. (Jack Khoury) 1:17 P.M. Over 1,300 Gaza rockets launched at Israel, army says About 1,369 rockets were launched from Gaza toward Israel since the latest fighting broke out with the Strip, according to Brig. Gen. Itzik Bar of the Israeli military’s Home Front Command. Out of these, 1,031 rockets fell in Israeli territory, with 264 landing in built-up areas. Bar said that "It's possible to see how this campaign differs from the previous one," referring to the 2014 Gaza War, when 4,000 rockets were launched at Israel over a time span of 50 days. (Noa Shpigel) 1:10 P.M. Israel says it struck fourth Hamas anti-tank unit The Israeli miltiary said its forces struck a Hamas anti-tank unit in Gaza, which was ready to fire at Israel. The latest strike follows three others within a couple of hours. (Yaniv Kubovich) 12:20 P.M. Al Arabiya: Israel tells Egyptian mediators no ceasefire before Saturday An Egyptian delegation of security officials, mediating between Israel and Hamas, arrived in Tel Aviv, sources tell Al Arabiya network. According to the political sources cited by Al Arabiya, Israeli officials told the Egyptian delegation Israel isn't seeking a ceasefire before Saturday. (Haaretz) 11:52 A.M. Israel says it struck three Hamas anti-tank units within an hour The Israeli miltiary said its forces struck three Hamas anti-tank units in Gaza City, "preventing firing into Israel." (Yaniv Kubovich) 11:50 A.M. Gaza authorities: Death toll climbs to 83 The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said 83 people were killed so far in Israeli strikes, and 487 were wounded. The deaths include 17 minors and seven women, authorities say. (Jack Khoury) 11 A.M. IDF strikes anti-tank launchers, another building in Gaza The IDF said that it neutralized anti-tank launchers and their operators in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, following attacks into Israeli territory. The IDF also stated that it struck a further Hamas building in Gaza, following its announcement earlier in the morning that it had hit 600 target in the enclave. (Yaniv Kubovich) 10:45 A.M. Several airlines cancel flights to Israel amid flare-up Major airlines from Europe and the U.S. have cancelled flights to Israel in light of the deteriorating security situation. Delta, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and British Airways have all announced that their flights will be put on hold. Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines said their flights from Frankfurt, Vienna and Munich will not go ahead on Thursday and Friday, while U.S. companies United Airlines and Delta said that flights will resume on Saturday. British Airways released a statement saying that "the safety and security of our colleagues and customers is always our top priority, and we continue to monitor the situation closely."( Reuters, Rina Rozenberg Kandel) 10:41 A.M. U.S. Secretary of Defense says Israel has legitimate right to defend itself Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz on Wednesday that the U.S. remains "committed to Israel's legitimate right to self-defense." A readout of the phone call said that the department's support was "ironclad" and that it "strongly condemned the launching of rockets by Hamas and other terriorist groups that targeted Israeli civilians." Austin also called on all parties to deescalate the situation ahead of Jewish and Muslim holidays. (Haaretz) 10:20 A.M. Israeli ground troops on standby at the Gaza border amid mounting violence Israel has prepared combat troops along the Gaza border and was in "various stages of preparing ground operations," a military spokesman said, a move that would recall similar incursions during Israel-Gaza wars in 2014 and 2008 -2009. "The Chief of Staff is inspecting those preparations and providing guidance ... we have a division headquarters and three maneuver brigades down in Gaza preparing themselves for that situation and for various contingencies," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said. (Reuters) 8:19 A.M. 1,160 rockets fired at Israel since outbreak of violence 1,160 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the violence this week, Israeli authorities said on Thursday morning. From this figure, around 240 of these rockets landed in the sea or in the Strip. (Almog Ben Zikri) 8:10 A.M. Israel redirecting arriving flights to Eilat airport Israel's Civil Aviation Authority has announced that all commercial flights arriving at Ben-Gurion International Airport will be redirected to Ramon Airport in Eilat, in light of the escalating security situation. Departures from Ben-Gurion International Airport, however, will continue as scheduled, as well as landings of cargo flights. (Rina Rozenberg Kandel) >> Read more on the impact on air travel 8:02 A.M. IDF: 130 rockets fired at Israel in last 12 hours The IDF reported that around 130 rockets were fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip since 8 P.M. on Wednesday evening. They estimate that 24 of the rockets fell within Gaza. (Yaniv Kubovich) 7:52 A.M. Sirens sounded on Israel's Gaza border Israel's border towns are facing renewed rocket sirens on Thursday morning. The alarms are being sounded in Sderot and the surrounding kibbutzim. (Almog Ben Zikri) 7:40 A.M. IDF claims it hit more than 600 Gaza targets in total The Israeli army spokesperson has said that the IDF has hit more than 600 targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the military operation, with the majority belonging to Hamas. This includes a tunnel located under a school, the Islamic movement's internal security organization, as well as two branches of the central bank used by Hamas in the enclave, the spokesperson claimed. The IDF also claimed to strike the home of Iyad Tayyeb, a battalion commander in Hamas's military wing, overnight. (Yaniv Kubovich) 6:48 A.M. Dozens of Palestinians reported wounded after clashes with Israeli army in West Bank Dozens of Palestinians suffered gunshot and sponge-tipped bullet wounds overnight Wednesday during clashes with Israeli army forces in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah reports. In Jerusalem, 51 people were hospitalized, 20 in Hebron, seven in Nablus, and five in Tul Karm. One of the wounded is in critical condition and three others suffered serious wounds. (Jack Khoury) 6:37 A.M. Death toll in Gaza climbs to 67, 388 wounded reported, Palestinian Health Ministry says Gaza Strip's death toll climbs to 67, including 17 minors, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Moreover, at least 388 Palestinians in the enclave were wounded, including 115 children and teenagers. (Jack Khoury) 6:12 A.M. Israeli army strike Hamas commander's home in Gaza Israeli jets attacked on Thursday the house of a Hamas commander, the army spokesperson unit said. "The IDF carries on with its strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip," the statement said. (Yaniv Kubovich) 5:30 A.M. Rocket siren sounded in southern Israel After almost two hours of relative calm, rocket sirens sounded early Thursday in the Gaza border community of Kerem Shalom. Twenty minutes later a second wave of sirens was heard throughout the area. (Haaretz) 3:18 A.M Rocket sirens blare in southern Israel Rocket sirens sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. (Haaretz) 1:59 A.M Gaza rocket hits house in Tel Aviv suburb A residential house in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva suffered a direct Gaza rocket hit overnight Wednesday, five were reported lightly wounded. A fire broke out at the site. (Bar Peleg) 1:53 A.M. Third consecutive Gaza rocket barrage toward Tel Aviv, central Israel A third Gaza rocket barrage, in less than an hour, toward Tel Aviv and central Israel was fired overnight Wednesday. (Haaretz) 1:38 A.M. Israeli airstrikes hit 'strategic' Hamas properties in Gaza, army says The Israeli army attacked "strategic" Hamas properties overnight Wednesday and carried out a number of targeted assassinations in the Gaza Strip, the army spokesperson unit says. According to an army statement, "In the last two hours, IDF jets and aircrafts have attacked strategic Hamas properties and a naval cell in Gaza." (Yaniv Kubovich) 1:27 A.M. U.S. National Security Advisor speaks with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister to defuse tensions National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke overnight Wednesday with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in ongoing efforts to defuse tensions. (Ben Samuels) 1:14 A.M. Rocket sirens blare in central Israel Rocket sirens persist in Israel overnight Wednesday, as rocket alerts sounded in central Israel. Witnesses say that sirens went off in northern Israel as well. (Haaretz) 1:03 A.M. Rocket sirens blare in central Israel Rocket sirens sounded in central and south Israel. (Haaretz) 12:29 A.M. Dozens of Palestinians reported injured in West Bank The Palestinian Red Crescent has reported overnight Wednesday that dozens of Palestinans were injured following clashes with Israeli army forces in the West Bank. Eleven suffered live fire injuries, two of whom are in serious condition. (Jack Khoury) 12:22 A.M. Prime Minister Netanyahu calls soaring violence ‘anarchy’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called overnight Wednesday the recent violent clashes in Israel “anarchy.” “What happens in Israeli cities in recent days is intolerable. We see Arab rioters setting synagogues and cars on fire, clash with officers and hurt innocent civilians,” he said. There is no “justification for Arabs lynching Jews, or Jews lynching Arabs,” he added.(Jonathan Lis) >> Click here for previous updates

>> This article is no longer being updated. Click here for all the latest updates Fighting between Israel and Hamas escalated in what has become the heaviest flare-up since the 2014 Gaza. At least 83 people were killed in the Strip and seven in Israel, in the most intensive aerial exchanges for years. Israel's unwanted war: LISTEN to Anshel PfefferIsrael carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza, as Palestinian militants fired more than a thousand rockets at central and southern Israel since Monday. The fighting prompted international concern that the situation could spiral out of control, as well as mediation efforts for a ceasefire. Tensions had been building up over the past week, with clashes between Israeli forces and protesters in Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and the Temple Mount, and spilled into violent attacks by civilians across Israel, targeting both Jews and Arabs. LIVE UPDATES 08:03 A.M. Gaza death toll climbs to 115, 600 reported wounded, Health Ministry says The health ministry in Gaza the number of Palestinian casualties has climbed to 115, including 27 minors and 11 women, while the number of wounded rose to 600. (Jack Khoury) 07:38 A.M. Israeli army strike 150 Hamas targets in northern Gaza More than 160 jets have carried out airstrikes in northern Gaza overnight Thursday, attacking some 150 Hamas targets, the Israeli army said in a statement Friday. הזרוע הצבאית של החמאס ותיעוד חדש לשיגור כתב"מים לישראל. בשעות האחרונות הארגון מתמקד גם במלחמת הסברה ותודעה כולל הודעה על שיגור טיל חדש בשם עייאש שהטווח שלו 250 ק"מ.A video posted by Hamas' military wing showing the launch of drones toward Israel.The army added that the overnight strikes targeted Hamas underground infrastructure. (Yaniv Kubovich) 07:33 A.M. Rocket sirens renew in Ashdod, Ashkelon, surrounding communities 07:18 A.M. Father, three daughters killed following airstrike, sources say A father and three of his daughters were killed in northern Gaza following an Israeli army airstrike, medical sources in the Gaza Strip say. Many residents, who live in the northern part of the Strip, left their homes tonight, supposedly because of a potential IDF strike. (Jack Khoury) 5:40 A.M. Sirens sound in communities close to Gaza border 4:17 A.M. Sirens renew in Ashdod, surrounding communities After over an hour of quiet, rocket launches from Gaza to Ashdod and other southern Israeli communities rewnewed, with sirens sounding across the region. (Haaretz) 3:02 A.M. Hamas sees us as 'weak but arrogant' Shabtai Ephraim, a resident of Ashkelon whose building was hit by a rocket, told Haaretz that "Hamas recognizes us as weak on one hand and arrogant on the other, so we get (rockets)." In the latest barrage of rocket fire launched from Gaza, five rockets landed in Ashkelon. One of them hit a residential building and seriously injured a 60-year-old man, receiving debris to his stomach. Another man, aged 90, sustained light injuries when he was hit in the head on the way to a bomb shelter. The two were evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center. (Aaron Rabinowitz) 2:40 A.M. Right-wing activists target Arab-owned business in Lod Dozens of right-wing activists, among them supporters of the La Familia group, vandalized and lit Arab busineses on fire in Lod earlier this evening. In one instance, the activists threw stones at an Arab family in the presence of police officers. In a separate event, they threw stones at a car, lit it on fire and flipped it on the road. The activists also tried to light an Arab-owned corner store on fire, where one was heard screaming 'we're going to light Lod on fire' (Bar Peleg) 2:31 A.M. 60-year-old man in serious condition after direct hit in Ashkelon Medics are treating a 60-year-old man who is in a serious condition after being hit by rocket debris, an MDA spokesperson said. The man was evacuated to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon. (Aaron Rabinowitz) 2:30 A.M. UN to proceed with security council meeting despite U.S. objection The UN Security Council will publicly discuss the worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants on Sunday, diplomats said after the United States earlier objected to a meeting on Friday. (Reuters) 2:27 A.M. Red alert sirens sound in Ashkelon, Gaza border communities 2:13 A.M. Ongoing sirens in Ashkelon, communities in Israel's south 1:34 A.M. Sirens sound in southern Judean hills, Gaza border communities 1:25 A.M. Rocket hits area near residential building in Ashkelon No injuries were reported in the strike. (Yaniv Kubovich) 1:16 A.M. Gaza Health Ministry: 109 killed in IDF strikes, 621 injured The Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry announced that 109 have been killed since Monday in IDF strikes, 27 of which were children and youth, and 11 were women. 621 have been injured in the strikes. (Haaretz) 1:05 P.M. Hamas spokesperson says they will fire new rockets at 1A.M. Spokesperson Abu Abadia has confirmed that Hamas will fire new rockets towards Israel at 1A.M. (Jack Khoury) 1:01 A.M. Heavy rocket fire above communities in Israel's south Sirens are sounding across communities in Israel's south, including Be'er Sheva. Meanwhile, the IDF Home Front Command has instructed residents of communities on the Israel-Gaza border with Israel to stay in their shelters until further notice. (Yaniv Kubovich) 12:32 A.M. Netanyahu: We will continue to attack Hamas, operation will continue as needed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said last night (Friday) that Hamas will pay a "very heavy price" for their actions. "We will continue to do what we're doing with great intensity. The last word has not yet been uttered, and this operation will continue as long as necessary." Netanyahu added that "we will give complete backing to the police, the Border Police and the rest of the security forces to restore law and order to the cities of Israel - we will not tolerate anarchy." Netanyahu added, "I call once again on the citizens of Israel not to take the law into their own hands." (Jonathan Lis) 12:22 A.M. IDF carries out ground, air strikes in Gaza The military is attacking targets in Gaza, by the ground and air, the IDF said. The IDF has told residents of western Negev communities to stay close to shelter, and confirmed that loud booms in the area were a result of IDF fire. (Almog Ben Zikri) 12:18 A.M. 87-year-old woman dies after falling on way to bomb shelter An 87-year-old woman has died from injuries sustained after falling on her way to the bomb shelter in Shtulim, southern Israel. Hatzalah medics tried to rescuscitate her, yet declared her death at the scene. (Almog Ben Zikri) THURSDAY 11:53 P.M. IDF attacks two Hamas anti-tank cells, Hamas cyber headquarters The IDF has confirmed that it hit two anti-tank missile cells in Gaza, bringing the total count of cells it destroyed today to seven. The IDF added that it targeted two buildings which housed Hamas cyber units. (Yaniv Kubovich) 11:50 P.M. Rocket hits between two buildings in Be'er Sheva A rocket which fell between two houses in Be'er Sheva caused damage to the area; no injuries have been reported. (Almog Ben Zikri) 11:29 P.M. Rocket alert sirens sound in Be'er Sheva, southern Israel 10:25 P.M. Sources say rocket fire from Lebanon committed by small Palestinian group Rocket fire from Lebanon toward Israel was the work of a small Palestinian group and occurred without Hezbollah's knowledge, according to Lebanese defense sources. (Jack Khoury) 10:18 P.M. Gaza Health Ministry says death toll rises to 103 The health ministry in Gaza said the number of Palestinian fatalities has risen to 103, including 27 minors and 11 women, while the number of wounded rose to 580. (Haaretz) 10:13 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in cities in central and southern Israel, including Lod, Ramle and Ashdod 10:04 P.M. Rocket sirens activated again in Ashdod 9:59 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in Ashdod, Ashkelon, Gaza border communities 9:39 P.M. Three rockets fired from Lebanon toward sea, military says Three rockets were fired from Lebanon at the sea, near the shores of northern Israel, the military said. No sirens were activated. Residents in the north of Israel reported hearing echoes of blasts. Authorities instructed residents to continue their routine as normal. The Gaza war in the summer of 2014 saw rockets fired from Lebanon by Palestinian organizations seeking a display of solidarity with residents of Gaza.(Yaniv Kubovich and Noa Shpigel) 9:33 P.M. Rocket sirens activated in Ashkelon 9:01 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon, Gaza border communities 8:21 P.M. Biden urges fewer rocket attacks as U.S. objects to UN meeting on Israeli-Palestinian escalation U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday called for a de-escalation of violence in the Middle East as the conflict in Gaza intensified, saying he wants to see a significant reduction in rocket attacks. Biden, speaking to reporters at the White House, also said he expects to have more talks with leaders in the region. The United States also objected to a request by China, Norway and Tunisia for a public, virtual meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Friday to discuss the worsening violence between Israel and Palestinian militants, diplomats said. Click here to read the full story... (Reuters) 8:20 P.M. White House says Egypt, Tunisia and others can help de-escalate conflict Egypt, Tunisia and other countries in the region can play a short-term role in de-escalating the ongoing conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Thursday. (Reuters) 8:18 P.M. Bennett says Lapid government is off the table, renews talks with Netanyahu's Likud Yamina leader Naftali Bennett has said in a closed-door meeting between members of his party and Likud representatives on Thursday that a "government of change," composed of the parties that seek to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is off the table. He said that given the state of emergency in mixed Arab-Jewish cities, the planned makeup of the government led by Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid and Bennett won't be able to manage the situation because it has become necessary to deploy military troops and conduct arrests. He said that doing so would be impossible with Mansour Abbas and his United Arab List party. Read the full story here... 7:22 P.M. Gantz approves calling up 2,000 more reservists Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved calling up 2,000 additional reservists, bringing the total to 9,000. (Almog Ben Zikri) 7:21 P.M. Army: 160 rockets fired at Israel since morning The military said that 160 rockets were fired at Israel between 7 A.M. and 7 P.M., with around 30 of them falling short and landing inside Gaza. (Haaretz) 7:01 P.M. Rocket falls in yard in southern Israel, fails to explode A rocket fell in the yard of a house in Eskhol Regional Council. It failed to explode and a sapper was called to the scene. There were no injuries. (Almog Ben Zikri) 6:55 P.M. Fighting severely affecting Gazans, Israeli defense official says A defense official speaking with reporters said that the ongoing fighting is severely affecting Gaza residents' quality of life, with three out of the four turbines producing electricity for the enclave out of commission because of a lack of fuel and the remaining turbine providing five hours of electricity a day. The fuel shortage has also interfered with the functioning of water pumps, the official said. Civilians and the Health Ministry in Gaza have been reporting that residents are afraid to leave their houses because of Israeli airstrikes and rockets falling short of their targets and falling within Gaza. According to the enclave's health ministry, 87 people have been killed and some 500 wounded in Gaza. (Yaniv Kubovich) 6:43 P.M. Sirens activated again in Be'er Sheva, Negev communities 6:30 P.M. Military says it struck apartment used for operations by head of Hamas drone program The military said it struck a Gaza apartment being used for operations by Hamas' drone program. (Yaniv Kubovich) 6:24 P.M. Rocket sirens sound in Be'er Sheva 6:02 P.M. Rocket sirens blare in Be'er Sheva 5:57 P.M. Rocket sirens blare in Ashkelon, several other southern communities 5:45 P.M. Military says it struck four apartments used by Hamas commanders The military said it struck four apartments in Gaza used by Hamas commanders for operations, including one used by the deputy commander of the organization's Jabalya Battalion, which fired the most recent volley of rockets. (Yaniv Kubovich) 5:37 P.M. Defense officials say rate of Gaza rocket fire surprised military While senior military officials have said they were not surprised by any actions by Hamas uring the current round of fighting, some defense officials have admitted that the rate of the rocket fire was unexpected. Some 1,600 rockets have been fired in the few days of fighting, with the largest single barrage being 140 rockets fired by Hamas at Ashkelon. Some 200 rockets have been fired at cities in central Israel. In closed-door meetings, the issue of flawed intelligence on Hamas' long-range rockets was also raised. Up to now, the military believed the longest-range rocket possessed by the group was the R-160, which has a maximum range of 160 kilometers. A rocket fired at the Ramon airport near Eilat – over 200 kilometers away from the launch point – came as a surprise to some in the military. As of Thursday afternoon, the military had thwarted five attempts by Hamas to launch explosives-laden drones into Israel. The air force has meanwhile been striking Gaza at an estimated rate of over 100 attacks a day. So far, four high-rise buildings in Gaza have been destroyed, and some 60 operatives in Hamas and Islamic Jihad have been killed, according to the military. Around 160 rocket launchers have been destroyed, as well. The airstrikes have been aimed at significantly damaging Hamas' rocket production sites and capabilities, including the assassination of senior members of its rocket program. The military has fired over 600 interception missiles so far. (Yaniv Kubovich) 5 P.M. Netanyahu: Government considering using military troops and administrative detentions to put down riots Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the government was considering deploying military troops to cities where riots have been taking place, and that the police commissioner has been given approval to do so. The government was also considering conducting administrative detentions, meaning arrests made without the suspect appearing before a judge, of rioters. "Our goal is to bring results and to bring them quickly," Netanyahu said. "We are hearing whispers about fears of inquiry committees. We will give you all the tools. You have the support, don't be afraid." The use of administrative detention and troops is only possible where a state of emergency has been declared, which has so far only been the case in Lod. Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai said, in closed discussions, said that he did not believe soldiers needed to be brought in. "The police can handle the incidents," Shabtai said, according to a source familiar with the details of the conversation.Click here to read the full story... (Jonathan Lis) 4:41 P.M. Multiple rocket sirens in communities in south over past hour 4:30 P.M. Military instructs public to remain below window height The military said that following a probe into the death of a five-year-old who was inside a safe room on Wednesday, the public should remain below the height of any windows inside their shelters when taking cover during a rocket alert. The boy's death occurred because of an extremely rare circumstance in which a fragment broke through the steel plate covering the window, the military said. (Almog Ben Zikri) 4:21 P.M. Military says 7,000 reservists called up, leave canceled for all combat units The military said it has canceled leave for all combat units and has so far called up 7,000 reservists, mostly those working with the Iron Dome defense system and medics. (Yaniv Kubovich) 3:35 P.M. Israel says it struck anti-tank missile launchers in Gaza high-rise The military said it struck another anti-tank missile launcher in Gaza, this time located in a high-rise building in the southern part of the Strip, following a series of such strikes throughout the day. (Yaniv Kubovich) 3:21 P.M. Explosive drone blows up over southern Israel An explosive drone launched from Gaza detonated in the skies above Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council in the Negev. There were no injuries. (Almog Ben Zikri) 3:15 P.M. Emergency services say four being treated after latest rocket barrage Emergency services said they were treating four people in light to moderate condition after the latest volley of rockets, including a seven-year-old boy who was moderately hurt while trying to reach shelter. Near the Negev moshav of Lachish, paramedics evacuated a woman lightly wounded by glass shards to the hospital, while another was lightly injured while trying to reach shelter and a third was receiving treatment for shock. (Haaretz) 3:03 P.M. Israel's Ramon Airport briefly suspends operations after Hamas says fired rocket Israel's southern Ramon airport was targeted by Palestinian rocket fire and was operating as usual, an Israeli official said, after the Islamist group Hamas said it had fired a rocket at the airport. The airport's operations were briefly suspended after a rocket landed in the area. Israel has redirected some flights to Ramon Airport, which is near the Red Sea resort Eilat, from its main Tel Aviv-area airport, Ben-Gurion International Airport, due to the security situation. (Reuters) 3 P.M. Police surveying damage in stricken moshav Following a barrage of rockets that fell on Zohar, police spokesperson said that they are working to locate sites of damage in the southern Israel moshav. There are preliminary reports of injuries and a hit on a building. (Josh Breiner) 2:40 P.M. Hamas says it fired rockets towards southern Israel airport Hamas' military wing stated that it fired a new type of rocket toward the Ramon Airport in Eilat, in southern Israel, where many flights are being redirected from Ben-Gurion International Airport. The novel type of rocket has a range of 220 kilometres. Earlier on Thursday, Israel's Civil Aviation Authority has announced that all commercial flights arriving at Ben-Gurion International Airport will be redirected to Ramon Airport in Eilat, in light of the escalating security situation.(Jack Khoury) 2:27 P.M. Rocket barrages target central, southern Israel Sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv area, the Jerusalem area and in and around Be'er Sheva and Ashkelon in Israel's south. Witnesses reported hearing sounds of explosions. (Haaretz) 2:01 P.M. Explosions heard in Ashkelon amid sirens Witnesses reported the sound of explosions in Ashkelon, as sirens went off in the city bordering the Gaza Strip. (Nir Hasson) 1:47 P.M. Hamas: We have a lot more 'surprises' if Israeli strikes continue The spokesman for the Hamas military wing, Abu Ubaida, said the group's "reaction so far was only a small part" of its capabilites, warning "as much as Israel intensifies [its strikes], we will increase our attacks, and we have plenty more surprises." The Hamas statement also hailed the Palestinians' "steadfastness," adding "all parts of Palestinian society in all areas" are involved in the current camapign, referring to protests and clashes in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and across Israel. (Jack Khoury) 1:17 P.M. Over 1,300 Gaza rockets launched at Israel, army says About 1,369 rockets were launched from Gaza toward Israel since the latest fighting broke out with the Strip, according to Brig. Gen. Itzik Bar of the Israeli military’s Home Front Command. Out of these, 1,031 rockets fell in Israeli territory, with 264 landing in built-up areas. Bar said that "It's possible to see how this campaign differs from the previous one," referring to the 2014 Gaza War, when 4,000 rockets were launched at Israel over a time span of 50 days. (Noa Shpigel) 1:10 P.M. Israel says it struck fourth Hamas anti-tank unit The Israeli miltiary said its forces struck a Hamas anti-tank unit in Gaza, which was ready to fire at Israel. The latest strike follows three others within a couple of hours. (Yaniv Kubovich) 12:20 P.M. Al Arabiya: Israel tells Egyptian mediators no ceasefire before Saturday An Egyptian delegation of security officials, mediating between Israel and Hamas, arrived in Tel Aviv, sources tell Al Arabiya network. According to the political sources cited by Al Arabiya, Israeli officials told the Egyptian delegation Israel isn't seeking a ceasefire before Saturday. (Haaretz) 11:52 A.M. Israel says it struck three Hamas anti-tank units within an hour The Israeli miltiary said its forces struck three Hamas anti-tank units in Gaza City, "preventing firing into Israel." (Yaniv Kubovich) 11:50 A.M. Gaza authorities: Death toll climbs to 83 The Palestinian Health Ministry in the Gaza Strip said 83 people were killed so far in Israeli strikes, and 487 were wounded. The deaths include 17 minors and seven women, authorities say. (Jack Khoury) 11 A.M. IDF strikes anti-tank launchers, another building in Gaza The IDF said that it neutralized anti-tank launchers and their operators in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, following attacks into Israeli territory. The IDF also stated that it struck a further Hamas building in Gaza, following its announcement earlier in the morning that it had hit 600 target in the enclave. (Yaniv Kubovich) 10:45 A.M. Several airlines cancel flights to Israel amid flare-up Major airlines from Europe and the U.S. have cancelled flights to Israel in light of the deteriorating security situation. Delta, United Airlines, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines, and British Airways have all announced that their flights will be put on hold. Lufthansa and Austrian Airlines said their flights from Frankfurt, Vienna and Munich will not go ahead on Thursday and Friday, while U.S. companies United Airlines and Delta said that flights will resume on Saturday. British Airways released a statement saying that "the safety and security of our colleagues and customers is always our top priority, and we continue to monitor the situation closely."(Reuters, Rina Rozenberg Kandel) 10:41 A.M. U.S. Secretary of Defense says Israel has legitimate right to defend itself Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told his Israeli counterpart Benny Gantz on Wednesday that the U.S. remains "committed to Israel's legitimate right to self-defense." A readout of the phone call said that the department's support was "ironclad" and that it "strongly condemned the launching of rockets by Hamas and other terriorist groups that targeted Israeli civilians." Austin also called on all parties to deescalate the situation ahead of Jewish and Muslim holidays. (Haaretz) 10:20 A.M. Israeli ground troops on standby at the Gaza border amid mounting violence Israel has prepared combat troops along the Gaza border and was in "various stages of preparing ground operations," a military spokesman said, a move that would recall similar incursions during Israel-Gaza wars in 2014 and 2008 -2009. "The Chief of Staff is inspecting those preparations and providing guidance ... we have a division headquarters and three maneuver brigades down in Gaza preparing themselves for that situation and for various contingencies," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said. (Reuters) 8:19 A.M. 1,160 rockets fired at Israel since outbreak of violence 1,160 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip since the outbreak of the violence this week, Israeli authorities said on Thursday morning. From this figure, around 240 of these rockets landed in the sea or in the Strip. (Almog Ben Zikri) 8:10 A.M. Israel redirecting arriving flights to Eilat airport Israel's Civil Aviation Authority has announced that all commercial flights arriving at Ben-Gurion International Airport will be redirected to Ramon Airport in Eilat, in light of the escalating security situation. Departures from Ben-Gurion International Airport, however, will continue as scheduled, as well as landings of cargo flights. (Rina Rozenberg Kandel) >> Read more on the impact on air travel 8:02 A.M. IDF: 130 rockets fired at Israel in last 12 hours The IDF reported that around 130 rockets were fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip since 8 P.M. on Wednesday evening. They estimate that 24 of the rockets fell within Gaza. (Yaniv Kubovich) 7:52 A.M. Sirens sounded on Israel's Gaza border Israel's border towns are facing renewed rocket sirens on Thursday morning. The alarms are being sounded in Sderot and the surrounding kibbutzim. (Almog Ben Zikri) 7:40 A.M. IDF claims it hit more than 600 Gaza targets in total The Israeli army spokesperson has said that the IDF has hit more than 600 targets in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the military operation, with the majority belonging to Hamas. This includes a tunnel located under a school, the Islamic movement's internal security organization, as well as two branches of the central bank used by Hamas in the enclave, the spokesperson claimed. The IDF also claimed to strike the home of Iyad Tayyeb, a battalion commander in Hamas's military wing, overnight. (Yaniv Kubovich) 6:48 A.M. Dozens of Palestinians reported wounded after clashes with Israeli army in West Bank Dozens of Palestinians suffered gunshot and sponge-tipped bullet wounds overnight Wednesday during clashes with Israeli army forces in the West Bank, the Palestinian Health Ministry in Ramallah reports. In Jerusalem, 51 people were hospitalized, 20 in Hebron, seven in Nablus, and five in Tul Karm. One of the wounded is in critical condition and three others suffered serious wounds. (Jack Khoury) 6:37 A.M. Death toll in Gaza climbs to 67, 388 wounded reported, Palestinian Health Ministry says Gaza Strip's death toll climbs to 67, including 17 minors, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry. Moreover, at least 388 Palestinians in the enclave were wounded, including 115 children and teenagers. (Jack Khoury) 6:12 A.M. Israeli army strike Hamas commander's home in Gaza Israeli jets attacked on Thursday the house of a Hamas commander, the army spokesperson unit said. "The IDF carries on with its strikes on terror targets in the Gaza Strip," the statement said. (Yaniv Kubovich) 5:30 A.M. Rocket siren sounded in southern Israel After almost two hours of relative calm, rocket sirens sounded early Thursday in the Gaza border community of Kerem Shalom. Twenty minutes later a second wave of sirens was heard throughout the area. (Haaretz) 3:18 A.M Rocket sirens blare in southern Israel Rocket sirens sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. (Haaretz) 1:59 A.M Gaza rocket hits house in Tel Aviv suburb A residential house in the Tel Aviv suburb of Petah Tikva suffered a direct Gaza rocket hit overnight Wednesday, five were reported lightly wounded. A fire broke out at the site. (Bar Peleg) 1:53 A.M. Third consecutive Gaza rocket barrage toward Tel Aviv, central Israel A third Gaza rocket barrage, in less than an hour, toward Tel Aviv and central Israel was fired overnight Wednesday. (Haaretz) 1:38 A.M. Israeli airstrikes hit 'strategic' Hamas properties in Gaza, army says The Israeli army attacked "strategic" Hamas properties overnight Wednesday and carried out a number of targeted assassinations in the Gaza Strip, the army spokesperson unit says. According to an army statement, "In the last two hours, IDF jets and aircrafts have attacked strategic Hamas properties and a naval cell in Gaza." (Yaniv Kubovich) 1:27 A.M. U.S. National Security Advisor speaks with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister to defuse tensions National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan spoke overnight Wednesday with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani in ongoing efforts to defuse tensions. (Ben Samuels) 1:14 A.M. Rocket sirens blare in central Israel Rocket sirens persist in Israel overnight Wednesday, as rocket alerts sounded in central Israel. Witnesses say that sirens went off in northern Israel as well. (Haaretz) 1:03 A.M. Rocket sirens blare in central Israel Rocket sirens sounded in central and south Israel. (Haaretz) 12:29 A.M. Dozens of Palestinians reported injured in West Bank The Palestinian Red Crescent has reported overnight Wednesday that dozens of Palestinans were injured following clashes with Israeli army forces in the West Bank. Eleven suffered live fire injuries, two of whom are in serious condition. (Jack Khoury) 12:22 A.M. Prime Minister Netanyahu calls soaring violence ‘anarchy’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called overnight Wednesday the recent violent clashes in Israel “anarchy.” “What happens in Israeli cities in recent days is intolerable. We see Arab rioters setting synagogues and cars on fire, clash with officers and hurt innocent civilians,” he said. There is no “justification for Arabs lynching Jews, or Jews lynching Arabs,” he added. (Jonathan Lis) >> Click here for previous updates

#Breaking | Israeli media: Settlers injured by shrapnel from rockets that fell on Kiryat Gat, south of #TelAviv

#عاجل | إعلام عبري: إصابة مستوطنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي #تل_أبيب

#Breaking Hebrew media: Three injuries in Kiryat Gat after the latest bombing

#عاجل الاعلام العبري: ثلاث اصابات في كريات جات بعد القصف الأخير

Breaking news from Hebrew media: Injuries in Kiryat Gat as a result of the latest rocket fire.

عاجل الاعلام العبري : إصابات في كريات جات نتيجة الرشقات الصاروخية الأخيرة

#Breaking - Israeli media: Two Israelis injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in Kiryat Gat, south of #TelAviv https://annahar.com/arabic/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%84%D9%87/13052021115527546…

#عاجل- وسائل إعلام #إسرائيلية: إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوب #تل_أبيب https://annahar.com/arabic/%D8%A7%D8%AE%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%84%D9%87/13052021115527546…

Breaking | Hebrew media: 3 injuries in Kiryat Gat after a rocket landed near a building. #Gaza

عاجل| كان العبري: 3 إصابات في كريات جات بعد سقوط صاروخ قرب مبنى. #غزة

Hebrew media outlets report that two Israelis were injured by shrapnel from #Gaza rockets that targeted "Kiryat Gat" south of #Tel_Aviv.

وسائل إعلام عبرية تعلن إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ #غزة التي استهدفت "كريات جات" جنوبي #تل_أبيب.

Breaking | Israeli media: Two Israelis injured by shrapnel from rockets that fell on Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv

عـاجل | إعلام عبري: إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي تل أبيب

Breaking | Israeli media: Two Israelis injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv

عاجل | وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية: إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي تل أبيب

#Breaking | Israeli Kan Channel: 3 injuries in Kiryat Gat after a rocket fired from Gaza landed #SyriaTV

#عاجل | قناة كان الإسرائيلية: 3 إصابات في كريات جات بعد سقوط صاروخ أطلق من غزة #تلفزيون_سوريا

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Palestinian resistance factions continue to launch rockets toward settlements bordering the Gaza Strip in response to Israeli occupation crimes in Jerusalem and its crimes against civilians in Gaza. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced that it had bombarded several Israeli cities with dozens of rockets. This comes after the Brigades' spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, vowed that there would be no red lines in repelling Israeli aggression. The Qassam Brigades stated that they targeted Tel Aviv, Beersheba, Netivot, Tel Nof Airbase, and Nevatim Airbase with rocket barrages. Israeli media reported that two Israelis were injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv. The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the Iron Dome intercepted at least 10 rockets over Tel Aviv. Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 reported that more than 100 rockets were launched in the final moments. In a significant development, the latest rockets fired by Palestinian resistance factions reached the outskirts of Eilat, in the far south of Israel on the Red Sea. The spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Abu Ubaida, announced the launch of a new Ayyash-250 rocket towards Ramon Airport in the southern Negev region, and called on international airlines to suspend flights to Israel until further notice. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that flights were suspended today at Ramon Airport, near the Jordanian border. This airport had been diverted by Israel to handle international flights after Ben Gurion Airport was closed due to rocket fire from the resistance in Gaza. These developments came shortly after a speech by Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in which he stated that there are no red lines or "sacred" rules of engagement when it comes to responding to Israeli aggression. He vowed further attacks against Israel. Abu Ubaida added that despite the significant disparity in military capabilities, the Brigades, "with God's help, have launched massive rocket strikes, the likes of which no country or regime has dared to direct (towards Israel) since the Nakba." The spokesman added that the Qassam Brigades' shelling of Tel Aviv, occupied Jerusalem, Dimona, and Beersheba "is easier for us than drinking water if our Al-Aqsa Mosque is violated." The Qassam Brigades had previously stated that they had shelled Tel Aviv, occupied Jerusalem, Ashdod, Ashkelon, and Kiryat Gat (south of Tel Aviv) with several rocket barrages at dawn today. The Al-Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, said they had expanded the scope of their attacks, targeting Tel Aviv and other areas with a large rocket barrage. Both military wings explained that the rocket barrages were in response to the continued Israeli bombardment of civilian facilities and buildings in the Gaza Strip. For his part, the Israeli army spokesman announced that 130 rockets had been launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel between 8:00 PM last night and this morning, and that the Iron Dome had intercepted dozens of them. Israeli media broadcast footage of sirens sounding in Tel Aviv and its suburbs, as well as in parts of Haifa, following the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. Israeli media reported the deaths of seven Israelis during the resistance's response to the ongoing Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip, which began on the evening of May 10. Sources stated that the fatalities occurred in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ramla, and Rishon LeZion, caused by resistance rockets. An officer was also killed when an Israeli military vehicle was targeted by a guided missile near the Gaza border. The sources added that more than 100 Israelis were wounded during the resistance's counterattacks, some critically. The resistance intensified its strikes in response to the Israeli occupation army's policy of targeting and completely destroying residential buildings. Resistance factions have dubbed the current escalation in the Gaza Strip "Operation Sword of Jerusalem," while the occupation forces have called it "Operation Guardian of the Walls." The following is a summary of the resistance's latest responses on Thursday, as reported by Sanad News Agency: 11:54 AM: Israeli Channel 7: A direct rocket hit three buildings in Beersheba. 11:42 AM: Israeli media: Rockets fired from Gaza towards Beersheba; reports of casualties. 11:40 Kan Channel: A settler from Moshav Shtulim near Ashdod was killed after rockets were fired from Gaza. 10:38 Channel 13: A rocket directly hit a building in Ashkelon. 10:26 Sirens sound again in Ramla, Lod, Ben Gurion Airport, Kiryat Malakhi, Kiryat Gat, and Modi'in in central Israel. 10:18 Our correspondent: Sirens sound east of Tel Aviv, Lod, and Ramla. 10:17 The military spokesperson for the Qassam Brigades: In light of the enemy's threats of a ground campaign, we say: Any ground incursion into any area of the Gaza Strip will, God willing, be an opportunity to increase our toll of enemy casualties and prisoners, and we are ready to teach them harsh lessons. 10:11 Sirens sound at the Israeli Palmachim Airbase, "designated for missile and defense tests." 10:05 The Qassam Brigades have begun a major rocket strike on the occupied cities of Ashdod and Ashkelon with 90 rockets in response to the enemy's continued targeting of safe civilian homes and the killing of children and women. 10:05 Yedioth Ahronoth: Sirens are now sounding in Ashkelon, Ashdod, and the surrounding area, following renewed rocket fire from Gaza. 4:30 The Al-Quds Brigades targeted the Iron Dome battery in the Nir Yitzhak area in the eastern part of southern Gaza with several intense rockets. 5:30 Twelve injuries arrived at Barzilai Hospital as a result of the shelling of the Zohar area in Beersheba. 4:40 The Qassam Brigades shelled the Nir Oz settlement with three heavy mortar rounds. 4:40 The Qassam Brigades released footage of the Shahab drone, which they put into service during the Battle of the Sword of Jerusalem.

تواصل فصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية إطلاق صواريخها صوب المستوطنات المحاذية للقطاع، ردًا على جرائم الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في مدينة القدس، وجرائمه بحق المدنيين في غزة. وأعلنت كتائب القسام الجناح المسلح لحركة المقاومة الإسلامية حماس، قصفها عدة مدن إسرائيلية بعشرات الصواريخ. ويأتي ذلك بعد أن توعد الناطق باسم الكتائب أبو عبيدة بأنه لا حدود حمراء في صد العدوان الإسرائيلي. وقالت "القسام" إنها قصفت تل أبيب وبئر السبع ونتيفوت وقاعدة تل نوف وقاعدة نيفاتيم برشقات صاروخية.  وأفادت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية بإصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي تل أبيب. وقالت صحيفة "معاريف" الإسرائيلية إن القبة الحديدية اعترضت 10 صواريخ على الأقل في سماء تل أبيب.  فيما تحدثت "القناة 12" الإسرائيلية عن إطلاق أكثر من 100 صاروخ في اللحظات الأخيرة. وفي تطور لافت، وصلت صواريخ المقاومة الأخيرة لفصائل المقاومة الفلسطينية إلى حدود مدينة إيلات في أقصى الجنوب الإسرائيلي على البحر الأحمر. وأعلن الناطق باسم كتائب القسام أبو عبيدة عن صاروخ جديد من طراز عياش 250 أطلق باتجاه مطار رامون جنوب منطقة النقب، ودعا شركات الطيران العالمية إلى وقف رحلاتها إلى دولة الاحتلال الإسرائيلي حتى إشعار آخر. وأوردت صحيفة "هآرتس" الإسرائيلية أنه تم تعليق الرحلات اليوم في مطار رامون قرب الحدود مع الأردن، وهو المطار الذي حولته إليه دولة الاحتلال الرحلات الدولية، بعدما علقت العمل بمطار بن غوريون تحت وقع الضربات الصاروخية للمقاومة في غزة. وجاءت هذه التطورات بعد فترة قصيرة من كلمة للناطق العسكري باسم كتائب القسام أبو عبيدة قال فيها إنه لا خطوط حمراء أو قواعد اشتباك "مقدسة" عندما يتعلق الأمر بالرد على العدوان الإسرائيلي. وتوعد دولة الاحتلال بالمزيد من الضربات. وأضاف أبو عبيدة أنه رغم فرق القوة الكبيرة في الإمكانيات العسكرية، فإن الكتائب "وجهت بعون الله ضربات صاروخية هائلة، لم تجرؤ دول أو أنظمة أن توجه عُشرها (نحو إسرائيل) منذ النكبة". وأضاف المتحدث أن قصف كتائب القسام لتل أبيب والقدس المحتلة وديمونا وبئر السبع "أسهل علينا من شرب الماء إذا استبيح أقصانا". ذكرت كتائب القسام في وقت سابق أنها قصفت فجر اليوم مدن تل أبيب والقدس المحتلة وأسدود وعسقلان، وكريات جات (جنوبي تل أبيب) بعدد من الرشقات الصاروخية. وقالت سرايا القدس الجناح العسكري لحركة الجهاد الإسلامي إنها وسعت دائرة النار، واستهدفت تل أبيب ومناطق أخرى برشقة صاروخية كبرى. وأوضح الجناحان العسكريان أن الرشقات الصاروخية تأتي في إطار الرد على استمرار قصف الاحتلال المنشآت المدنية والمباني في قطاع غزة. من جهته، أعلن الناطق باسم جيش الاحتلال إطلاق 130 صاروخا من قطاع غزة على دولة الاحتلال من الساعة الثامنة من مساء الليلة الماضية حتى صباح اليوم، وأن القبة الحديدية اعترضت عشرات منها. وبثت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية لقطات تُسمع فيها صافرات الإنذار بمدينة تل أبيب وضواحيها ومناطق بمدينة حيفا عقب إطلاق رشقات صاروخية من قطاع غزة. وأعلنت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية مقتل سبعة إسرائيليين خلال رد المقاومة على العدوان الإسرائيلي المستمر على قطاع غزة، منذ مساء 10 مايو/ أيار الجاري. وذكرت المصادر، أن القتلى سقطوا في عسقلان وأسدود والرملة وريشون لتسيون بفعل صواريخ المقاومة، بالإضافة إلى مقتل ضابط في استهداف مركبة عسكرية إسرائيلية بصاروخ موجّه قرب حدود القطاع. وقالت المصادر إن أكثر من 100 إسرائيلي أصيبوا خلال تصدي المقاومة للعدوان، بعضهم في حال الخطر. وجاء تكثيف المقاومة ضرباتها ردًا على سياسية جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في استهداف البنايات السكنية وتدميرها بشكل كامل. وأطلقت فصائل المقاومة، اسم "معركة سيف القدس" على التصعيد الجاري في قطاع غزة، فيما أطلق عليها الاحتلال "حارس الأسوار". وفيما يلي ترصد لكم "وكالة سند للأنباء" آخر ردود المقاومة خلال اليوم الخميس: 11:54  القناة 7 الإسرائيلية: إصابة صاروخية مباشرة لثلاثة مبانٍ في بئر السبع. 11:42 الإعلام الإسرائيلي: إطلاق صواريخ من غزة باتجاه مدينة بئر السبع، والحديث عن إصابات. 11:40 قناة كان: مقتل مستوطنة من موشاف شتوليم قرب أسدود بعد إطلاق صواريخ من غزة. 10:38 القناة 13: سقوط صاروخ بشكل مباشر على مبنى مدينة عسقلان 10:26 صافرات الإنذار تدوّي مجددًا في الرملة واللد ومطار بن غوريون وكريات ملاخي وكريات غات وموديعين وسط فلسطين. 10:18 مراسلتنا: صفارات الإنذار تدوي شرق تل أبيب، واللد الرملة. 10:17 الناطق العسكري باسم كتائب القسام : في ظل تلويح العدو بحملة برية فإننا نقول: إن أي توغل بري في أي منطقة في قطاع غزة سيكون بإذن الله فرصة لزيادة غلتنا من قتلى وأسرى العدو وجاهزون لتلقينه دروساً قاسية 10:11 صفارات الإنذار تدوي في قاعدة بالماخيم الجوية الإسرائيلية "المخصصة للتجارب الصاروخية والدفاعية". 10:05 كتائب القسام تبدأ الآن بتوجيه ضربةٍ صاروخيةٍ كبيرة لمدينتي اسدود وعسقلان المحتلتين بـ90 صاروخاً رداً على استمرار العدو باستهداف المنازل المدنية الآمنة وقتل الأطفال والنساء 10:05 يديعوت أحرونوت: صفارات الإنذار تدوي الان في عسقلان وأسدود والغلاف، في أعقاب تجدد إطلاق الصواريخ من غزة 4:30: سرايا القدس تستهدف منصة القبة الحديدية في منطقة نير اسحاق في المناطق الشرقية لجنوب قطاع غزة بعدة صواريخ مكثفة 5:30 وصول 12 إصابة لمستشفى بارزيلاي نتيجة القصف على منطقة "زوهر"  في مدينة بئر السبع. 4:40 كتائب القسام تقصف مغتصبة "نيرعوز" بـ3 قذائف هاون من العيار الثقيل 4:40 كتائب القسام تعرض مشاهد لطائرة "شهاب" التي أدخلتها الخدمة خلال معركة سيف القدس

Gaza-Tel Aviv (Agencies) The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced that they had, for the first time, targeted southern Israel with rockets with a range of up to 250 kilometers. They also targeted Israeli military concentrations on the Gaza border with explosive-laden drones. Meanwhile, Israel continued its intense bombardment of the Gaza Strip and threatened a ground operation. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged that it was impossible to intercept all Palestinian rockets, as the death toll in the Strip reached 90. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced that they had fired dozens of rockets at Tel Aviv, Beersheba, Netivot, Tel Nof Airbase, and Nevatim Airbase yesterday. This came after the Brigades' spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, vowed that there were no red lines in repelling Israeli aggression. In a significant development, the latest barrages from Palestinian resistance factions reached the outskirts of Eilat, a city in southern Israel on the Red Sea. Israeli ambulances reported treating 19 Israelis injured by rocket fire targeting Israeli sites. Earlier, Israeli media reported that two Israelis were injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv. The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the Iron Dome intercepted at least 10 rockets over Tel Aviv, while Channel 12 reported that more than 100 rockets had been launched in the preceding moments. A spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades stated that a new type of rocket, the Ayash 250, was launched toward Ramon Airport in the southern Negev region, and called on international airlines to halt flights to Israel. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that flights were suspended at Ramon Airport, near the Jordanian border, the airport to which Israel had diverted international flights after suspending operations at Ben Gurion Airport due to rocket fire from Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that the Israel Airports Authority denied reports of operational disruptions at Ramon Airport. These developments came shortly after a speech by Abu Ubaida, the military spokesman for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, in which he stated that there are no "sacred" red lines or rules of engagement when it comes to responding to Israeli aggression, vowing further strikes against Tel Aviv. The spokesman added that despite the disparity in military capabilities, the Brigades, "with God's help, have launched massive missile strikes, the likes of which no country or regime has dared to direct at Israel since the Nakba." In his address regarding the ongoing developments, Abu Ubaida said, "Israel is a self-proclaimed state that promotes itself as the leading power in the region, while it targets children, women, civilian institutions, and safe residential towers to showcase the scale of destruction and firepower—a cowardly display." He added that for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, shelling Tel Aviv, occupied Jerusalem, Dimona, and Beersheba would be "easier than drinking water if our Al-Aqsa Mosque were desecrated." In a new development, the Qassam Brigades announced that their drones targeted Israeli military concentrations on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip yesterday afternoon. The military wing of Hamas released images of the newly deployed, locally made "Shehab" drones, confirming that the drones targeted an Israeli gas platform off the coast of northern Gaza. Meanwhile, Israeli warplanes launched a new series of airstrikes on areas in the Gaza Strip yesterday, resulting in more martyrs, wounded, and widespread property damage. The ongoing Israeli airstrikes targeted both civilian and resistance sites. Israeli warplanes bombed a security headquarters in the center of Gaza City with two missiles. Israeli airstrikes also targeted the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood in northern Gaza City and a Palestinian home in the Nasr neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Simultaneously, the Israeli army stated that it is prepared for a possible ground operation following the expansion of its operations in the Gaza Strip. The intense Israeli bombardment also destroyed and damaged a large number of shops, in addition to damaging the electricity grid, which led to a power outage in the Rimal neighborhood west of Gaza City. Israeli warplanes also destroyed a house in the Rimal neighborhood after striking it with missiles.

غزة- تل أبيب- وكالات:  أعلنت كتائبُ القسام، الجناح المُسلح لحماس، أنها قصفت لأوّل مرّة مناطق جنوبي إسرائيل بصواريخ يصل مداها إلى 250 كيلومترًا، واستهدفت حشودًا عسكرية إسرائيلية على حدود غزة بطائرات مُسيرة مفخخة، وبينما واصلت إسرائيل قصفها المُكثف للقطاع، ولوّحت بعملية برية ضده. وأقر رئيس وزرائها بنيامين نتنياهو أنه من المُستحيل صدّ كل الصواريخ الفلسطينية. مع وصول عدد الشهداء في القطاع إلى 90 شهيدًا. فقد أعلنت كتائب القسام أنها قصفت أمس تل أبيب وبئر السبع ونتيفوت وقاعدة تل نوف وقاعدة نيفاتيم بعشرات الصواريخ، وذلك بعد أن توعّد الناطق باسم الكتائب أبو عبيدة بأنه لا خطوط حمراء في صدّ العدوان الإسرائيلي. وفي تطوّر لافت، وصلت الرشقات الأخيرة لفصائل المقاومة الفلسطينيّة إلى حدود مدينة إيلات في أقصى الجنوب الإسرائيلي على البحر الأحمر. وقال الإسعاف الإسرائيلي: إنه عالج 19 إسرائيليًا أُصيبوا بجروح جراء رشقات استهدفت مواقع إسرائيلية، وكانت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية أفادت قبل ذلك بإصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي تل أبيب. وقالت صحيفة «معاريف» الإسرائيلية: إن القبة الحديدية اعترضت 10 صواريخ على الأقل في سماء تل أبيب، بينما تحدثت «القناة 12» الإسرائيلية عن إطلاق أكثر من 100 صاروخ في اللحظات الأخيرة. وكان الناطق باسم كتائب القسام قال: إن صاروخًا جديدًا من طراز «عياش 250» أطلق باتجاه مطار رامون جنوب منطقة النقب، ودعا شركات الطيران العالمية إلى وقف رحلاتها إلى إسرائيل، وأوردت صحيفة «هآرتس» الإسرائيلية أنه تم تعليق الرحلات في مطار رامون قرب الحدود مع الأردن، وهو المطار الذي حوّلت إليه إسرائيل الرحلات الدولية، بعدما علقت العمل بمطار بن جوريون تحت وقع الضربات الصاروخية للمقاومة في غزة. من جهتها، ذكرت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية أن هيئة المطارات الإسرائيلية نفت الأنباء عن تعطل العمليات في مطار رامون. وجاءت هذه التطوّرات بعد فترة قصيرة من كلمة للناطق العسكري باسم كتائب القسام أبو عبيدة قال فيها: إنه لا خطوط حمراء أو قواعد اشتباك «مقدسة» عندما يتعلق الأمر بالرد على العدوان الإسرائيلي، مُتوعدًا تل أبيب بالمزيد من الضربات. وأضاف الناطق العسكري باسم كتائب القسام: إنه رغم فرق القوة في الإمكانات العسكرية، فإن الكتائب «وجهت بعون الله ضربات صاروخية هائلة، لم تجرؤ دول أو أنظمة أن توجّه عُشرها نحو إسرائيل منذ النكبة». وقال أبو عبيدة، في كلمة بشأن التطوّرات الجارية: إن «إسرائيل دولة مزعومة تروّج لنفسها كدولة أولى في المنطقة، بينما هي تستهدف الأطفال والنساء والمؤسسات المدنية والأبراج السكنية الآمنة لاستعراض حجم الدمار وقوة النار، وهو استعراض جبان». وأضاف المُتحدث: إن قصف كتائب القسام لتل أبيب والقدس المُحتلة وديمونا وبئر السبع «أسهل علينا من شرب الماء إذا استبيح أقصانا». وفي تطوّر جديد، أعلنت كتائب القسام أن طائراتها المُسيرة استهدفت ظهر أمس حشودًا عسكرية إسرائيلية على تخوم قطاع غزة. وبثّ الجناح العسكري لحركة حماس صور مسيرات «شهاب» المفخخة محلية الصنع التي دخلت الخدمة حديثًا، مؤكدًا أن الطيران المُسير استهدف أمس منصة إسرائيلية للغاز في عرض البحر. قبالة ساحل شمال غزة. بالمقابل شنّت طائرات الاحتلال أمس سلسلة جديدة من الغارات على مناطق في قطاع غزة، ما أوقع المزيد من الشهداء والجرحى والدمار في الممتلكات. وشملت الغارات الإسرائيلية المتواصلة أهدافًا مدنية وأخرى للمقاومة. وقصفت الطائرات الحربية الإسرائيلية مقرًا أمنيًا وسط مدينة غزة بصاروخين، كما استهدفت الغارات الإسرائيلية حي الشيخ رضوان شمال مدينة غزة، ومنزلًا لأحد المواطنين الفلسطينيين في حي النصر بمدينة رفح جنوب قطاع غزة. وبالتوازي، قال جيش الاحتلال: إنه مُستعد لاحتمال القيام بمناورة برية بعد توسيع نطاق عملياته في القطاع. كما أدّى القصف الإسرائيلي العنيف إلى تدمير وتخريب عدد كبير من المحال التجارية، إضافة إلى تضرّر شبكات الكهرباء، وهو ما أدّى لانقطاعها عن حي الرمال غرب مدينة غزة. ودمرت مقاتلات حربية إسرائيلية منزلًا في حي الرمال بعد قصفه بالصواريخ.

The spokesperson for the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades announced today, Thursday, that a new Ayyash 250 rocket was launched towards Ramon Airport in the occupied territories. Israeli Channel 12 reported that the latest barrage from Gaza involved more than 100 rockets, with the Iron Dome intercepting at least 10 over Tel Aviv. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades confirmed that they targeted Tel Aviv, Beersheba, Netivot, Tel Nof Airbase, and Nevatim Airbase with rocket barrages. Meanwhile, Israeli media reported that two Israelis were injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv. For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated: "We will achieve calm for Israel with great resolve in both defense and offense." Publication Information Publisher: Step News Agency Publication Date: May 13, 2021 Updated Date: December 13, 2025

أعلن الناطق باسم كتائب القسام، اليوم الخميس، أن صاروخاً جديداً من طراز عياش 250 أطلق باتجاه مطار رامون في الأراضي المحتلة. وأفادت القناة 12 الإسرائيلية أن الرشقات الأخيرة من غزة تمت بواسطة أكثر من 100 صاروخ، واعترضت القبة الحديدية 10 صواريخ على الأقل في سماء تل أبيب. وأكدت كتائب القسام أنها قصفت تل أبيب وبئر السبع ونتيفوت وقاعدة تل نوف وقاعدة نيفاتيم برشقات صاروخية. بينما كشفت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية عن إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي تل أبيب. ومن جانبه قال رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو: سنحقق الهدوء لإسرائيل بحزم كبير في الدفاع والهجوم. معلومات النشر الناشر: وكالة ستيب نيوز تاريخ النشر: 13 مايو, 2021 تاريخ التحديث: 13 ديسمبر, 2025

Breaking News | Israeli media: Two Israelis injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv

ورد الآن | وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية: إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على كريات جات جنوبي تل أبيب

Urgent | Zionist media: Two Israelis injured by shrapnel from rockets that landed in the settlement of Kiryat Gat, south of Tel Aviv #GazaResists #GazaUnderAttack #SaveSheikhJarrah #Palestine | #AlRafidainChannel

عاجل | وسائل إعلامية صهيونية: إصابة إسرائيليين اثنين بشظايا صواريخ سقطت على مستوطنة كريات جات جنوبي "تل أبيب" ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ #غزة_تقاوم #غزة_تحت_القصف #انقذوا_حي_الشيخ_جراح #فلسطين | #قناة_الرافدين

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Hebrew media: Three injuries in Kiryat Gat after the latest shelling. #SwordOfJerusalem #EasierThanADrinkOfWater

الاعلام العبري: ثلاث اصابات في كريات جات بعد القصف الأخير. #سيف_القدس #أسهل_من_شربة_ماء