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At least six Palestinians killed in Israeli raid in Gaza Gaza commander among six Palestinians killed in Israeli raid, Hamas says
(about 1 hour later)
A fresh wave of fighting has erupted between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip, leaving at least six Palestinians dead just as Israel and Hamas had appeared to be making progress toward ratcheting down months of border violence. An exchange of fire erupted during an Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, killing six Palestinians including a local Hamas commander, its officials said.
It was announced on Sunday night that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, would cut short his visit to Paris and return home because of the fighting. He had been attending remembrance events marking the centenary of the end of the first world war. Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the blockaded Gaza Strip, denounced a “cowardly Israeli attack”.
It was unclear what set off the latest violence. In a statement, Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz al-Din al-Qassam brigades, said Israeli undercover forces in a civilian vehicle infiltrated two miles into Gaza and fatally shot one of its commanders. It said militants discovered the car and chased it down, prompting Israeli airstrikes that killed “a number of people”. The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would cut short his trip to Paris, where he had been attending world war one commemorations, and return home. The conflict potentially dashes hopes that a recent agreement would restore calm.
The Israeli military reported an “exchange of fire” had taken place during operational activity in Gaza and said that “all IDF soldiers back in Israel”. It did not elaborate. The Palestinian health ministry said six people were killed, including five militants, and seven others wounded. After the violence erupted, sirens were reported in southern Israel indicating possible rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. The army said two launches from Gaza were intercepted by Israeli missile defences.
On Sunday night, air raid sirens warning of incoming rockets sounded in southern Israel, near Gaza. Details were still emerging of the incident that Palestinian officials said occurred east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.
A spokesman for Israel’s airport’s authority says some flight landings and departures have been changed at the country’s international airport. Gaza militants have rockets capable of reaching into the Israeli heartland, where Ben Gurion International airport is located. Gaza’s health ministry said six Palestinians were killed. The dead included a local commander for Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the brigades said in a statement.
Sunday’s development shattered what appeared to be a turning point after months of bloodshed along the Israel-Gaza border, with weekly Hamas-led protests drawing thousands to the perimeter fence with Israel. More than 160 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the border protests, in which Palestinians threw rocks, burning tyres and grenades toward Israeli troops. Israel’s army had not provided details, but said all its soldiers had returned. “During [Israeli military] operational activity in the Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire evolved. More details to follow,” an Israeli army statement said.
Last week, Israel allowed Qatar to deliver $15m (£11.6m) in aid to Gaza’s cash-strapped Hamas rulers. Hamas responded by lowering the intensity of Friday’s border protest. Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said on Twitter the army “operated in the Gaza Strip, exchange of gunfire ensued”.
Earlier on Sunday, Netanyahu defended his decision to allow the transfer of the Qatari money, rejecting criticism that the move had strengthened Hamas. “All IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers back in Israel,” he wrote. “Several alarms have sounded in southern Israel.”
Netanyahu told reporters that it was “the right step” at the moment and that he was committed to restoring quiet along the Israel-Gaza frontier and preventing a humanitarian crisis in the coastal Palestinian territory. Hamas’s armed wing alleged in a statement that an Israeli special forces team infiltrated near Khan Yunis in a civilian car. Israel’s military had not confirmed those details or described what type of operation it conducted.
“Every action, without exception, has a price,” he said. “If you can’t handle the price you cannot lead.” A ground operation inside the Gaza Strip would be rare and likely to significantly boost tensions.
Israeli critics, including members of Netanyahu’s hard-line coalition, accused him of capitulating to violence and of granting relief to the embattled Hamas group. The clash comes after months of deadly unrest along the Gaza-Israel border had appeared to be calming. Recent weeks have seen Israeli decisions to allow Qatar to provide the Gaza Strip with millions of dollars in aid for salaries as well as fuel to help ease an electricity crisis.
Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza have fought three wars since 2008, and recent months of unrest have raised fears of a fourth. Deadly clashes have accompanied major protests along the Gaza-Israel border that began on 30 March 30.
At least 227 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, the majority shot during protests and clashes, since the demonstrations began, while others died in tank fire or air strikes. One Israeli soldier has been killed along the Gaza border in that time.
On Friday, Palestinian civil servants began receiving payments after months of sporadic salary disbursements in cash-strapped Gaza, with $15m delivered into the enclave through Israel in suitcases by Qatar.
A total of $90m is to be distributed in six-monthly instalments, Gaza authorities said, primarily to cover the salaries of officials working for Hamas.
Qatar has also said it would hand out $100 to each of 50,000 poor families, as well as larger sums to Palestinians wounded in clashes along the Gaza-Israel border.
The Gulf emirate has also started buying additional fuel for Gaza‘s sole power station, allowing outages to be reduced to their lowest level in years.
GazaGaza
Palestinian territoriesPalestinian territories
Middle East and North AfricaMiddle East and North Africa
IsraelIsrael
Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin Netanyahu
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