By Hend Kortam
An Israeli airstrike against Gaza early Saturday morning killed one Palestinian and injured at least 20 more. The death is the latest fatality in a week of rockets exchanged between the Israeli Aviation Forces (IAF) and the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas.
The Israeli attack targeted militants damaging a building belonging to Hamas, still many of the victims were civilians. The Palestinian man killed on Saturday has not been connected to any known militant group.
His death comes after a series of deadly Israeli airstrikes on Gaza on Friday that killed two Palestinians and injured four more. On Thursday, Hamas rockets targeted the Sourthern Israeli towns of Eshkol and Ashkelon but there were no reports of casualties. One of the missiles targeting Ashkelon was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system created to protect Israeli citizens from rockets and artillery shells.
In this most recent volley of strikes the death toll is at least 13 dead and 34 injured in Gaza with reports of a man wounded on Saturday in Israel. The Palestinian casualties include militants from the Al Quds force, the Al Aqsa Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees. Among those killed were also several civilians, the youngest being a two year-old child.
Israel said that the air raids it launched early Monday were in response to rockets fired from Gaza. According to conflicting news reports the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades have fired between 120 and 150 rockets into Israel in the last week.
The current tensions between the Ezzedeen Al-Qassam Brigades and the Israeli army violate what was a fragile ceasefire. Earlier this year three weeks of violence in Gaza targeted the Popular Resistance Committees leaving 23 Palestinians dead including many civilian, according to Reuters. The groups was accused by Israel of orchestrating the 2011 Israeli-Egyptian border attacks which left 8 Israelis dead.
According to Israel, the current airstrikes on Gaza are in no way related to the recent Israeli-Egyptian border attacks. On Monday, an Israeli construction worker was killed by militants, who attacked from inside Egypt’s Sinai region, the Mujahideen Shura Council of Jerusalem claimed responsibility for the attack. Anxious observers worry that the current crisis is just the beginning of a retaliation mission by Israel for that attack.
Gaza has been under blockade –now in its fifth year – imposed by Egypt and Israel since June 2007. Over one and a half million people are living under the blockade, half of which are children. Gaza has astoundingly high unemployment rates, poverty rates and a water and electricity crisis. On the anniversary of the blockade, over 50 non-governmental agencies and the United Nations called on Israel to lift the devastating blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip.
In December 2008 and January 2009, Gaza was the target of heavy-shelling by Israel in an attack that lasted three weeks known as “Operation Cast Lead,” which left over 1,000 Palestinians dead and 13 dead on the Israeli side.
