BREAK Cross-Border Clashes In Gaza After 11 Palestinians Died In The Attack Of Israeli Army In The West Bank

Illustration of rocket attacks from Gaza. (Wikimedia Commons/paffairs_sanfrancismo)

JAKARTA - Gaza militant rocket fire was met with Israeli airstrikes, in cross-border clashes that broke out on Thursday, a day after the raid that killed 11 Palestinians in the West Bank.

Mediation efforts are being made by Egypt and the United Nations to calm the situation, officials said, as UN envoys to the Middle East Tor Wennesland arrived in Gaza to meet with Hamas leaders.

The Israeli military said six rockets had been fired from Gaza overnight, prompting airstrike sirens in southern settlements.

Five rockets were intercepted by Israel's missile defense system, while one other rocket crashed in an open area. Israeli authorities said no injuries were reported.

Palestinian militant faction Jihad Islam did not claim they fired the rockets, but said they had the right to defend themselves against Israeli aggression.

In retaliation, Israeli fighter jets then attacked a weapons manufacturing site belonging to Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, the Israeli military said. No injuries were reported.

The cross-border attack came after Israeli operations in the town of Nablus, the West Bank, on Wednesday. Israeli forces have killed 11 Palestinians, including six gunmen and five civilians, and injured more than 100 people in the operation, Palestinian sources said.

The UN envoy for the Middle East, Wennesland, arrived in Gaza to meet with Hamas leaders in an effort to calm the situation, a diplomatic source said.

"I continue my approach with all interested parties to defuse the situation. I urge all parties to refrain from steps that can cloud the volatile situation," Wennesland said in a statement before the visit.

Meanwhile, a Palestinian official said Hamas leaders and Islamic Jihad warned mediators, including Egypt, that the situation could turn into an "open confrontation" if nothing changes.

Regarding this incident, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Office declined to comment.

In a separate statement, PM Netanyahu said an agreement had been reached with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who heads the pro-common party of Religious Zionism, who would grant him some civil power in the West Bank, despite not providing details.

In the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza, Palestinian groups went on strike because schools, universities, and banks in all those places remained closed.

It is known that the adjacent Nablus and Jenin have been the focus of Israeli troop attacks over the past year, after a series of deadly Palestinian street attacks in the cities.

hum-two Palestinians, including armed men and civilians, have been killed since early 2023, the Palestinian Ministry of Health said. Meanwhile, ten Israelis and a Ukrainian tourist were killed in Palestinian attacks in the same period, according to Israel's Foreign Ministry.