Region bracing for escalation after Israeli bombings killed three Palestinian commanders and 10 civilians
Militants in the blockaded Gaza Strip have fired at least 60 rockets into Israel in response to surprise Israeli airstrikes a day before which killed three Palestinian Islamic Jihad senior commanders and at least 10 civilians.
Several salvoes in less than an hour set off air raid sirens in towns and cities across southern Israel on Wednesday afternoon, including the country’s commercial and cultural hub, Tel Aviv. Israel’s powerful Iron Dome air defence system intercepted several projectiles, and there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.
Israelis living in the south of the country, as well as the 2.3 million Palestinians trapped in the Gaza Strip, have been bracing for escalation since Israeli bombings in the early hours of Tuesday targeting senior Islamic Jihad operatives, launched despite a fragile ceasefire in place since last week’s day of cross-frontier exchanges of fire.
On Tuesday, after the initial Israeli bombardment, about 6,500 Israelis were evacuated from their homes near the Gaza periphery by the defence ministry, and schools and several roads were closed in anticipation of a response from Gaza’s militant groups.
