Airstrikes Increase, Israel Deploys Troops Along Gaza

Illustration of an airstrike handler. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru)

JAKARTA - Israel is preparing troops along the Gaza border in the wake of Hamas' rocket attack on southern Israel, when the fiercest hostilities in years have been protracted with no sign of ending.

Israel has deployed combat troops along the Gaza border and is in "various stages of preparing ground operations," a military spokesman said.

The atmosphere will be reminiscent of similar attacks during the Israel-Gaza wars in 2014 and 2008-2009.

"The chief of staff is examining the preparations and giving directions ... Our divisional headquarters and three maneuver brigades in Gaza are preparing for the situation and for a variety of possibilities," Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus told Antara from Reuters on Thursday, May 13.

Sirens blaring in Tel Aviv overnight and the sound of rockets being shot down by Israel's Iron Dome system filled the sky, prompting thousands of Israelis to rush to seek shelter.

On Thursday, Israel resumed its airstrikes on Palestinian enclaves in its coastal area, destroying a six-story residential building in central Gaza City.

As the world reiterated its call for calm, a wave of violence between Israeli Jews and the country's Arab minority continued to spread in several Israeli cities. There were attacks on synagogues, as well as clashes between Arabs and Jews on the streets.

A record 67 people have been killed in Gaza since violence escalated on Monday, May 10, according to the region's health ministry. Seven people were killed in Israel, his military said.

Health authorities in Gaza say they are investigating the deaths of several people overnight --who they say may have inhaled toxic gases. The samples are being examined and they have not yet drawn a final conclusion.

Amid fears the violence could become increasingly uncontrollable, the United States plans to send its envoy, Hady Amr, to talks with Israelis and Palestinians.

"My hope is this will end soon, but Israel has the right to defend itself," U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday, May 11 after he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden did not explain the reasoning behind his optimistic stance.

Netanyahu's office said the prime minister told the U.S. president Israel would "continue to act to attack the military capabilities of Hamas and other terrorist groups active in the Gaza Strip."

On Wednesday, Israeli forces killed a senior Hamas commander and bombed several buildings, including tall buildings and a bank, which Israel says is linked to the faction's activities.

Hamas hinted it would continue to challenge. Its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said that "confrontation with the enemy is limitless".

Israel launched the attack after Hamas fired rockets into Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in retaliation for clashes between Israeli police and Palestinians near the Al Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem during Ramadan.

The attack escalated ahead of a court hearing -- which is currently pending -- that could lead to the eviction of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem, which Jewish settlers claim.

For Israel, targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem poses a new challenge in the confrontation with Hamas, which is considered a terrorist group by Israel and the US.

A source on the Palestinian side said ceasefire efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations had made no progress to end the violence.