At least 10 people, including a five-year-old girl, have been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, followed a night of heavy weapons fire as more than 100 rockets were fired into Israel “in an initial response”.
Most were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence shield, but sirens sounded in a number of Israeli cities throughout the night.
Leader of the Islamic Jihad (PIJ) group Tayseer Jabari was among the Palestinian dead.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said it had resumed rocket strikes against multiple militant positions in Gaza, continuing the attacks into the early hours of the morning.
On Saturday, Israel said it had arrested 19 members of PIJ in raids across the West Bank.
The overnight exchange of fire marks the most serious escalation in violence since May 2021’s 11-day war, which left more than 200 Palestinians and a dozen Israelis dead before a ceasefire was agreed.
Egypt, which has acted as a mediator between the two sides in the past, is reportedly offering to act as a go-between once again in a bid to prevent further escalation.
Cairo officials were preparing on Saturday to host a potential delegation of PIJ representatives as part of that process, Egyptian media said.
Referring to the initial strike on Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said: “Israel carried out a precise counter-terror operation against an immediate threat.”
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said: “We don’t know how this will play out… but this could take time… this could be a lengthy round [of conflict] and a hard one.”
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