Gaza/Israel: rocket fire intensifies, no ceasefire in sight

Smoke rises from a building in Gaza after Israeli strikes this Saturday, August 6, 2022. AP - Fatima Shbair

Text by: RFI Follow

4 mins

At this stage, Israel has no casualties.

No real negotiation for a cease-fire started on Saturday August 6 at the end of this second day of the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

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With our correspondent in Jerusalem,

Michel Paul

For the first time since the start of the ongoing armed escalation with the Islamic Jihad group in Gaza, rocket warning sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv metropolis on Saturday afternoon.

Until now, they had only sounded in localities adjacent to the Gaza Strip, from where the Islamic Jihad fires rockets in the direction of Israeli territory.

In a short statement, the armed wing of the Palestinian group, the Al-Quds Brigades, confirms having fired " 

a heavy barrage of rockets 

" towards the Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Ashdod and Sderot, where a rocket hit full force a building.

In the port city of Ashkelon cars were also hit.

Rockets also fell into the sea off the seaside town of Netanya. 

A field on the outskirts of the city of Sderot, in southern Israel, burns after being hit by rocket projectiles fired from the Gaza Strip on August 6, 2022. AFP - JACK GUEZ

At this stage, no way out of the crisis is in sight: the mediation traditionally conducted by the Egyptians is yielding nothing and the Israelis blame it on Islamic Jihad.

"

 The battle is only at its beginning 

," said Mohammed Al-Hindi, an official of the organization, in a press release. 

An Israeli military spokesman assures that the army was preparing " 

for a week-long operation 

" and "

 was not currently conducting negotiations for a ceasefire 

".

The Gaza authorities reported 15 dead, including a five-year-old girl and one of the commanders-in-chief of the Islamic Jihad, Tayssir Al-Jabari, and 125 injured in the Israeli shelling.

► To read also:

Gaza: a hundred rockets fired at Israel after the death of an Islamic Jihad leader

International pressures

International pressure is exerted on Israel to allow the opening of the

Kerem Shalom crossing

this Sunday.

Only a few hours, in particular, to allow fuel oil to be supplied to the Gaza power station.

It “ 

stopped (working) due to a shortage 

” of fuel, the electricity company said on Saturday, after the Jewish state, which has imposed a blockade on Gaza since 2007, sealed off border crossings in recent days. , effectively interrupting diesel deliveries.

Due to power cuts, the coming hours will be " 

crucial and difficult 

", warns the Ministry of Health in Gaza.

The UN Humanitarian Affairs Coordinator (Ocha) in the Palestinian Territories, Lynn Hastings, calls for allowing the entry into the enclave of " 

fuel, food and medical supplies 

".

I am gravely concerned by the ongoing and serious escalation of violence in and around Gaza between Palestinian militants and Israel... See my full statement: https://t.co/4pVC6v0Kag

— Lynn Hastings (@LynnHastings) August 6, 2022

The European Union claims to follow the violence in the Gaza Strip with “ 

deep concern 

” and calls on all parties to show “ 

maximum restraint 

” in order to avoid a new escalation.

For its part, Paris “ 

condemns the firing of rockets on Israeli territory and reiterates its unconditional attachment to Israel's security 

”.

The United Kingdom shows its support for Israel and "

 its right to defend itself 

" and condemns " 

terrorist groups which open fire on civilians and the violence which has caused casualties on both sides

 ".

Iran confirms support for Islamic Jihad

General Hossein Salami, the leader

of the Revolutionary Guards

, the ideological army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, says the Palestinians were "

 not alone 

" in their fight against Israel.

"

 Today, all jihad capabilities against the Zionists are on the ground in united formation to work to liberate Jerusalem and uphold Palestinian rights 

," the general, whose country is the main backer of Jihad, wrote in a statement. Islamic.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, for his part, considered that Israel had “ 

again shown the world its nature as an occupier and an aggressor 

”.

To read also: 

Israel calls on its nationals in Turkey to return, citing an Iranian threat

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  • Gaza

  • Israel

  • Israelo-Palestinian conflict