Israel’s attack on Gaza on Friday is the most serious round of violence since the 11-day offensive in May, last year.
Israel launched an attack on the besieged Gaza Strip on Friday, killing 10 people including an Islamic Jihad group commander, and wounding at least 65 others.
Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement condemning the attacks and urging the international community to take action against the occupation’s repeated aggression against civilians.
The ministry further reiterated their support for the Palestinian people, in their right to justice and the right to establish an independent state as per the 1967 borders.
Gaza’s health ministry reported that 10 people were killed, including a five year old girl named Alaa Qaddoum alongside her father, whilst riding on a motorcycle to go shopping for groceries. The pair were attacked by an Israeli missile.
Islamic Jihad group commander, Taysir al-Jabri, was also killed in an air raid on an apartment in the centre of the city, the group confirmed.
The Israeli army published a video of the airstrike killing al-Jabri shortly after the attack.
Social media users have been quick to point towards Israel’s tendency to attack the besieged Gaza Strip and other densely Palestinian-populated areas, whenever a general elections looms near.
The attack was preceded by border closures, including that of Karem Abu Salem crossing, which is the pipeline for fuel to reach Gaza’s sole power plant – as well as a tightening of the 15 year blockade on the strip, and a prevention of goods and medication among other necessities from entering the city.
Latest reports indicate that Gaza’s sole power plant will shut down indefinitely as of Saturday due to the lack of fuel forced by Israel’s besiegement of the city, bringing the total number of electricity the city will have in a day, to four hours.
‘Aggression needs to end completely’
In a phone call with Qatar’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said that the crimes against the people of Gaza are an ‘expression of the occupation’s aggressive intentions.’
The political leader further stressed the need to end the aggression against Palestinians completely, and lift the ‘oppressor’s hand’ from the Gaza Strip.
According to Axios, after the airstrikes on Friday, Israel conveyed messages to Hamas emphasising the operation was only targeting the Islamic Jihad group, demanding Hamas stay of the fight.
A number of rockets were fired from Gaza in response to the Israeli airstrikes on the besieged city, reportedly none of which were by Hamas.
The Israeli army also carried out raids on Friday night in Palestinians towns near Hebron and Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, detaining 20 people.
In May last year, Israel launched a brutal 11-day offensive on the besieged city, in which at least 260 Palestinians were killed, including 66 children.
Palestinians have taken to social media to highlight their pain in surviving the constant attacks.
One prominent activist stated that, “Palestinians in Gaza haven’t even recovered from the attacks of 2021, the massacres near the fence in 2018-2019, the 2014 summer of death when 2,310 people were murdered, including 500 kids, 2012, 2008-2009, etc. Palestinians in Gaza are tired and this madness needs to stop.”
