Israeli forces have launched airstrikes in the besieged Gaza Strip amid fears of escalating violence in the region. Thursday’s early morning attack follows a deadly Israeli raid on the West Bank city of Jenin, which was occupied last week. An air raid that killed nine Palestinians was followed by a Palestinian offensive against Israelis over the weekend that killed seven Israelis in a shootout in occupied East Jerusalem.
The unrest has also triggered exchanges of fire between Israeli forces and Palestinian groups in Gaza. This included rockets fired from the blockaded strip on Wednesday night. No Palestinian group has claimed those launches. The Israeli military said its air raids hit rocket and weapon production sites used by Hamas, the group that governs Gaza. After the raids, the AFP news agency reported new rounds of rockets fired from Gaza and explosions that shook buildings and lit up the night sky over Gaza.
Israel’s treatment of Palestinian prisoners has been regularly criticized by human rights groups with hundreds being held without charge in what Israel calls “administrative detention.” Israel has carried out raids in the West Bank almost every day for a year. Israel’s far-right government took office late last year and January has been a particularly bloody month for the Palestinians, killing 35 of his people. Israeli forces have killed at least 200 Palestinians in the past year.
