Gaza’s Ministry of Health said that 69 Palestinians, including 17 children and eight women, have died since the conflict between Israel and Palestine turned violent on Monday, reported Al Jazeera on Wednesday. Over 390 people sustained injuries.
Seven Israelis, including a child, also died in the violence, the country’s military said. Both sides have launched missiles at each other, resulting in deaths.
The bombardment by Israel continued on Thursday as Gaza observed Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramzan. In Gaza, two multi-storey buildings and a tower that houses media outlets collapsed after Israel conducted airstrikes after asking the occupants to evacuate the buildings, Reuters reported. Another structure was heavily damaged.
Many in Israel have moved into shelters amid a barrage of rockets hitting various cities. Five people were injured on Thursday after a rocket crashed into a building near Israel’s commercial capital of Tel Aviv, the police said.
Violence was also seen between Jewish mobs and the country’s Arab minority in cities of Israel. Members of the two communities clashed on the streets and synagogues were also attacked.
A military spokesperson of the country said that Israel has prepared combat troops along the Gaza border and was “preparing ground operations”. Similar movements along the border were seen during the Israel-Gaza wars in 2014 and 2008-2009.
“The chief of staff is inspecting those preparations and providing guidance,” Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said.
Following weeks-long tensions in Jerusalem, the violence erupted on Monday night, during which Israeli police attacked Palestinian protesters near the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
At the heart of the conflict was an Israeli Supreme Court hearing, which was due on May 10 in a long-running legal case about whether several Palestinian families would be evicted from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, a neighbourhood near Damascus Gate that was given to Israeli settlers.
As the court hearing neared, Palestinians and left-wing Israelis began holding larger demonstrations, saying more evictions could cause a domino effect throughout the overwhelmingly Palestinian neighbourhood.
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Global reaction
Various countries, including India, have condemned the violence. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday urged Israel and the Palestinians to take steps for de-escalation, reported CNBC.
The United States backed Israel in the conflict. “My expectation and hope are that this will be closing down sooner than later... But Israel has a right to defend itself when you have thousands of rockets flying into your territory,” said US President Joe Biden.
On the other hand, Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the world needs to teach Israel a “strong” lesson. Erdogan suggested that countries should discuss the “idea of sending an international protection force to the region in order to protect Palestinian civilians.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Boris Johnson expressed concern on the growing violence and civilian casualties. “We want to see an urgent de-escalation of tensions,” he said.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti said New Delhi was deeply concerned about clashes and violence in Haram Al Sharif and Temple Mount and the evictions in Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighbourhoods. New Delhi called on both sides to avoid changing the status-quo on the ground.
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