Israel-Palestine updates: Rocket fire after Gaza bombed
The exchange of fire comes a day after Israeli attacks kill 15 people, including children, in besieged Gaza Strip.
This live blog is now closed. Here are the updates for Wednesday, May 10:
This live blog is now closed. Here are the updates for Wednesday, May 10:
- A barrage of rockets has been fired from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel after Israeli forces renewed air raids on the besieged territory.
- At least six Palestinians were killed in the latest air attacks, bringing the death toll in two days of Israeli bombardment to 21, including children, and at least 64 wounded, Palestinian health officials say.
- Israel’s Iron Dome defence system intercepted dozens of rockets, the army says.
- Sirens warning of incoming rocket fire sound in Tel Aviv, as well as in central and southern Israel.
UN chief condemns ‘civilian loss of life’ in Gaza
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following with “deep concern the latest security developments in Gaza, and the ongoing escalation and risk of further loss of life,” his spokesperson has said in a statement.
Guterres “condemns the civilian loss of life, including that of children and women, which he views as unacceptable and must stop immediately”, the statement read.
He further urged all parties concerned to “exercise maximum restraint and to work to stop hostilities immediately”.
.@antonioguterres is following with deep concern the latest security developments in Gaza & the ongoing escalation & risk of further loss of life. He urges all parties concerned to exercise maximum restraint & work to stop hostilities immediately: https://t.co/HndbS22YbY
— UN Spokesperson (@UN_Spokesperson) May 10, 2023
Gaza education ministry announces closure of schools, universities
Gaza’s education ministry has announced the temporary closure of schools and universities across the Strip.
The ministry is “closely following developments unfolding following the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip and extends its heartfelt condolences to the families of the martyrs,” it said in a statement carried by Maan news agency.
“In order to ensure the safety of students and workers, the ministry has decided to continue the suspension of working hours of all educational institutions, schools, and kindergartens on Thursday, May 11,” it said.
In pictures: Palestinians mourn deaths of loved ones in Gaza
At least 21 people have been killed so far in Israeli air raids on the besieged Gaza Strip. The enclave has seen relentless bombardment for two consecutive days.
Residents of the strip are mourning their loved ones, including women and children who lost their lives in the latest assault. Among them was 10-year-old Layan Madoukh, whose uncle, Khalil Madoukh, told Al Jazeera that she was a “mere innocent child”.
‘Severe exchange of fire’ in last hour: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Issam Adwan, reporting from Gaza, said the there has been a “severe exchange of fire” in the last hour.
“The past hour has been very intense,” Adwan said. “The military room here in Gaza decided to fire rockets towards Israeli cities … which were intercepted by the defence system,” he added.
Later, Israeli air raids hit multiple cities across the Gaza Strip, Adwan said. No casualties were reported.
Reports of an Egyptian-brokered truce remain unconfirmed, he added, with neither side announcing it.
UN MidEast envoy condemns ‘civilian deaths’ in Israeli strikes
The United Nations Middle East envoy, Tor Wennesland, has condemned the death of “civilians” in Gaza.
Wennesland said the death of civilians in Israeli air raids is “unacceptable” and urged all concerned to “exercise maximum restraint”.
Israeli airstrikes in #Gaza this morning resulted in killing 13 Palestinians – 3 PIJ members, 5 women & 4 children. I condemn the deaths of civilians.
Urge all concerned to exercise restraint. I remain fully engaged in an attempt to avoid a broader conflict.
My full Statement👇 pic.twitter.com/AXc0c50mDU— Tor Wennesland (@TWennesland) May 9, 2023
Palestine’s UN envoy says SC needs to decry Israel’s ‘criminal aggression’
Palestine’s UN ambassador Riyad Mansour has said he held a closed door meeting with the president of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), along with other UNSC Arab representatives.
Mansour said he briefed the president about “the criminal aggression against our people in the Gaza Strip”.
“We believe it is the duty of the UNSC to condemn these crimes and to pronounce that those from the Israeli side who planned those crimes, who have committed those crimes, should face accountability and pay,” he said.
“We sincerely hope that this aggression against our people to stop immediately, and we sincerely hope that the UNSC and the international community can condemn in clear terms the killing of children and women,” Mansour added.
Arab League condemns ‘agressive, barbaric’ Israeli assault
The Arab League has condemned the “aggressive [and] barbaric Israeli raids on the Gaza Strip, which targeted civilians, children and women in residential neighbourhoods”.
In a statement issued by the body following an emergency session on the situation in Gaza, the Arab League also expressed its “full solidarity with the Palestinian people” and highlighted its support of their right to “self-defence”.
Rockets fired towards southern Israel after attacks: Video
Barrages of rockets have been launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israeli towns. “The rockets are being fired from everywhere, the sky is full of smoke,” Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed said, reporting from Gaza City.
“This is the first response since the Israeli attack on Gaza yesterday … after 36 hours it is the first Palestinian response,” she added.
Israel uses David’s Sling interceptor for first time: Report
Israel’s mid-range air defence missile system David’s Sling has been deployed in military operations for the first time, two Israeli military sources told Reuters.
The Israeli army did not immediately provide further details on the system’s use.
David’s Sling, designed to shoot down rockets fired from 100 to 200km (62 to 124 miles) away, is part of Israel’s shield that already includes short-range Iron Dome and long-range Arrow-2 and Arrow-3 missiles.
Above residential buildings in Tel Aviv, residents reported seeing streaks in the sky from intercepted missiles.
Egyptian TV station announces Gaza ceasefire
A state-run Egyptian TV station has announced an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, despite air raid sirens sounding throughout southern Israel.
Late Wednesday, Egypt’s Extra News television channel, which has close ties to Egyptian security agencies, said the country had brokered a ceasefire.
There was no immediate confirmation from Israel or Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Egypt begins ceasefire negotiations
Egypt, which has mediated truces in previous rounds of fighting, has begun mediating a ceasefire, Palestinian Islamic Jihad spokesman Daoud Shehab told Reuters.
The Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen also said that Israel was examining an Egyptian-mediated proposal for a truce.
Cairo has played a prominent role in the past, mediating between Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire after Tel Aviv’s offensive on Gaza in May 2021, and has also been a vital stakeholder, mediating between Palestinian factions and Israel during previous attacks on the territory.
Death toll rises to 21 dead, 64 injured: Ministry
Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed, reporting from Gaza, says the toll has risen to 21 dead and 64 injured, according to the ministry of health.
El Sayed was reporting live following a huge barrage of rockets fired from Gaza, after Israel carried out air raids on the besieged Palestinian territory for a second straight day.
‘No sense of safety at any time’, Gaza resident says
Rana Shubair, a Gaza-based writer, said that the Israeli attacks took them “by surprise completely”.
“Everybody was asleep, we suddenly work up to huge explosions,” Shubair told Al Jazeera.
“This attack was not against Islamic Jihad operatives, it was against Palestinian people because Gaza comprises of high rises which are crammed next to each other so there’s hardly any space between building,” she said.
“Living under the blockade is a part of the story – it’s something that we’ve been forced to endure for the last 17 years … There is no sense of safety at any time,” Shubair added.
“The unpredictability of these attacks, and that they can just attack innocent civilians sleeping in their homes … is not something that makes life stable or enjoyable for people here.”
‘Calm from Gaza will be met with calm from Israel’: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from West Jerusalem, said Israeli officials will be meeting to carry out “a situational assessment … to assess where things stand right now”.
According to Israeli media reports, there is a “consensus among top officials in Israel who believe a ceasefire will be reached within the coming hours and there will be no further escalation,” Jamjoom said.
Officials are not commenting on this publicly, he said, but it seems that military officials, along with political leaders, believe that the escalation “could end in the next few hours”.
If a deal is reached, the message put forward by Israel is that “calm from Gaza will be met with calm from Israel,” he added.
Death toll from two days of Israeli bombardment on Gaza reaches 20
At least three Palestinians were killed in Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday evening, according to Palestinian health officials.
The latest victims bring the death toll in two days of Israeli bombardment to 20, including children. At least 42 others have been wounded.
Gaza rockets are in response to Israeli ‘massacre’: Hamas spokesman
Hamas spokesperson Abdulatif al-Qanoo’ was quoted by the Palestinian Maan news agency as saying rockets fired from Gaza are part of a “unified resistance”.
The rockets are in response to the “massacre committed by the Zionist occupation and within the framework of self-defence,” he said in a brief statement.
“The response of the resistance is a duty … and [the response] is unified,” he added.
Palestinian factions in Gaza show united front in new statement: AJ correspondent
Palestinian factions in Gaza have issued a joint statement, Al Jazeera’s Youma El Sayed said.
The “resistance factions announced the implementation of ‘Operation Revenge of the Free’ in response to the assassination of the leaders of the al-Quds Brigades,” El Sayed said, quoting the joint statement.
“Targeting civilian homes and assassinating our men and heroes is a red line that will be confronted with full force,” she said, reading the statement.
“The resistance is ready for all options and if the occupation persists with its aggression … dark days await it,” she continued from the statement.
Israeli bombardment on Gaza still ‘very intense’: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Youmna El Sayed, reporting from Gaza, said the Israeli air raids were still “very intense”.
The latest attacks targeted Beit Lahya in northern Gaza, and parts of western Gaza, El Sayed said.
Ambulances have rushed to the locations as local sources reported injuries, she added.
Meanwhile, the joint chamber for Palestinian factions has said the launching of rockets from the enclave is a “response to the Israeli occupation’s attack on the Gaza Strip”, El Sayed said.
Continuation of Gaza bombardment depends on Hamas’ involvement: AJ correspondent
Al Jazeera’s Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from West Jerusalem, said the current wave of attacks on Gaza is expected to last approximately “three or four days”.
“But, that is contingent upon whether or not Hamas is involved,” Jamjoom said, referring to the group that governs the Gaza Strip.
“We’re hearing Israeli army spokespeople say that according to their intel, Hamas is not involved in any rocket fire being launched from Gaza into parts of Israel,” he said.
“Israel has continued to warn Hamas not to get involved in any kind of escalation,” Jamjoom said. “If Hamas were to get involved … it has a potential to last much longer.”
More than 100 rockets fired from Gaza: AJ correspondent
Reporting from Ashkelon in southern Israel – some six kilometres north of the besieged Gaza Strip – Al Jazeera’s Willem Marx said rocket fire from the enclave has continued “pretty much uninterrupted”.
“Every few minutes, there’s been a separate barrage probably for the last three hours or so,” Marx said.
“We’ve heard from the Israeli government radio specifically that more than 100 rockets have now been fired,” he said. “The vast majority though, the government has said, have landed in the southern region”.
The consequences of those rockets are so far “minimal”, he said, adding that there have been no reports of major casualties.
Death toll from two days of Israeli bombardment on Gaza reaches 17
At least two Palestinian were killed in Israeli air attacks on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, said Palestinian health officials.
The latest victims bring the death toll in two days of Israeli bombardment to 17, including children, Palestinian health officials said. At least 37 others have been wounded.
Hamas says Palestinian resistance response ‘unified’
Mosheer al-Masri, a senior member of Hamas, told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian response to Israeli air raids on Gaza was “a reflection of the resistance’s covenant with its people and martyrs.
“Its hand [the resistance’s] is unified,” he said, adding that “the door of reckoning with the Israeli occupation was still wide open.”
Hamas is among the factions of the Joint Room, but they have not announced their individual participation in the rocket fire.
Israeli journalist says army denies Hamas involvement in Gaza rockets
Israeli journalist Barak Ravid has quoted Israeli army spokesman Daniel Hagari as saying that there was no immediate indication that Hamas was involved in the fighting.
“We don’t see that Hamas is involved in the fighting in Gaza at the moment,” Hagari was quoted as saying.
IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari: We don’t see that Hamas is involved in the fighting in Gaza at the moment. I am putting aside their declaration. We will react to actions and we don’t see Hamas actions at the moment
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) May 10, 2023
Palestinian Islamic Jihad says response from Gaza is ‘unified’
Daoud Shehab, a leader in Palestinian Islamic Jihad, told Al Jazeera that “the response to the assassination enjoys a national and field consensus, and the Palestinian line is one and unified.”
Israeli authorities tell citizens to remain in shelters
Israeli authorities have told citizens living in towns along the Gaza border fence to remain close to or inside shelters.
Reporting from Ashkelon in southern Israel, Al Jazeera’s Willem Marx said that the Israeli army was on high alert as sirens were initiated and the Iron Dome intercepted incoming rockets.
“In the last few moments, there’ve been instructions [from authorities] for people to stay inside shelters because of these barrages,” he said. “A lot of communities have been encouraged to move away from here since the rockets on Gaza yesterday.”