Conflicts & War

Palestinians killed in Israel’s Gaza offensive rises to 31

(Update 1: updates death toll)

Jerusalem, Aug 7 (EFE).- The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip in the ongoing escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) increased to 31 on Sunday, after another night of exchange of fire.

Moreover, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, a total 265 Palestinians have been wounded in the escalation so far, including around a hundred children.

After a day of heightened conflict on Saturday, the Israeli army continued bombing the through the night and into the morning on Sunday.

According to an Israeli military official, one of these attacks targeted a network of tunnels used by the PIJ to infiltrate into Israeli territory for carrying out attacks.

Another bombing killed Khaled Mansur, leader of PIJ’s southern command of it’s armed wing. It was also the second death of a senior member of the group since the outbreak of hostilities on Friday following the death of Taysir al-Jabari, who was leading the central and northern command.

On the other hand, anti-aircraft alarms continued to sound in Israeli communities adjacent to Gaza after the launch of more rockets by the Palestinian group.

PIJ, which is estimated to have launched more than 600 projectiles since Friday, fired a series of rockets towards Jerusalem on Sunday.

So far, the Israeli side has not recorded any deaths, but reported 21 people having received minor injuries.

While Egypt has confirmed attempting to mediate between the parties, apart from the United Nations, there is no indication of a possible ceasefire at the moment.

Apart from the casualties, Israeli shelling in Gaza has aggravated the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.

After the closure of the border crossings as a punitive measure a few days ago, the Strip ran out of fuel needed to operate its only power plant.

As a result, Gaza’s more than two million people have only four hours of electricity a day, and basic services are operational in a very limited capacity.

Five United Nations Security Council member states – the United Arab Emirates, China, France, Ireland and Norway – have called for a meeting next week to discuss escalation of tension in the Gaza Strip, the UAE government reported Saturday. EFE

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