Scores killed in Israel-Gaza clash

Gaza health ministry says at least 24 Palestinians, including six children, have been killed and 203 wounded during two days of cross-border clash.

The clash, which shattered more than a year of relative calm around Gaza, began when Israel launched a surprise attack on Friday hitting a series of what it said were military targets.

Top Islamic Jihad commander Tayseer al-Jaabari is reported to have been killed in the attacks.

Hamas, the Islamist group which controls the enclave, blamed Israel for a blast close to the Jabalya refugee camp that killed some people including children.

The Israeli military denied it was responsible, saying the explosion was caused by a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch.

While the Israeli strikes went on, hitting what the military said were weapons depots hidden in residential areas and destroying a number of houses, Islamic Jihad fired rocket salvoes as far as Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv.

Palestinian militants fired more than 400 rockets at Israel – most of them intercepted, setting off air raid sirens and sending people running to bomb shelters.

Also read: Israel-Gaza violence: US envoy arrives for de-escalation talks

Egypt said it is engaged in intensive talks to calm the situation.

Further escalation would largely depend on whether Hamas would opt to join the fighting alongside the smaller Islamic Jihad group.

“Intensive efforts have been made this evening and the movement listened to the mediators, but these efforts haven’t reached an agreement yet,” an Islamic Jihad official said.

UN and European Union Mideast envoys expressed concern over the violence while the Western-backed Palestinian Authority condemned Israel’s attacks.

Around 2.3 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal Gaza Strip, with Israel and Egypt tightly restricting the movement of people and goods in and out of the enclave and imposing a naval blockade, citing security concerns.

Zainab Sa’id