![]() ![]() The more powerful Hamas has praised Islamic Jihad’s strikes but remained on the sidelines during the latest round of fighting, limiting the scope of the conflict. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars, and there have been numerous smaller flareups as well. It was the latest in a long series of battles between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since the Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the seaside territory in 2007. A Palestinian human rights group said three people, including two children, were killed in Gaza by errant rockets. Israeli jets struck more than 400 targets, according to a preliminary military tally, which also showed about a fifth of the rockets were misfired and landed in Gaza, while most of the rest were either intercepted or landed in open areas.Īn 80-year-old woman and a Palestinian laborer who was working inside Israel were killed by rocket fire. The Israeli military reported over 1,400 launches throughout the fighting, with some rockets reaching as far as the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas. Gaza’s main cargo crossing with Israel reopened Sunday after warnings that keeping it closed would force Gaza’s sole power plant to shut down, deepening a power crisis. In Gaza, residents surveyed the latest damage caused to their surroundings, with gaping holes left in the apartments serving as what Israel said were hideouts for the six senior Islamic Jihad members killed during this round. While the calm appeared to bring a sense of relief to Gaza’s 2 million people and hundreds of thousands of Israelis who had been largely confined to bomb shelters in recent days, the agreement did nothing to address the underlying issues that have fueled numerous rounds of fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the Gaza Strip over the years. Those killings set off a barrage of militant fire and the conflagration threatened to drag the region into another all-out war until Egypt mediated a cease-fire that took hold late Saturday. The latest round of Gaza fighting was sparked Tuesday when Israeli jets killed three top commanders from the Islamic Jihad militant group in response to earlier rocket launches from Gaza. Hamas stayed out of the recent round of fighting, but Israel says it holds the group responsible for fire coming out of the territory. Israel responded with tank fire on what it said were two military posts belonging to Gaza’s ruling Hamas militant group. Palestinian media said the launch was caused by a technical error as militants were trying to deactivate the rocket. In an early test for the truce, Palestinian militants fired a rocket that landed in an open area of southern Israel Sunday evening. GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - A fragile cease-fire between Israeli forces and militants in the Gaza Strip appeared to be holding on Sunday after a five-day clash that killed 33 Palestinians and two people in Israel. ![]()
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