Israeli Spy Mission in Gaza, Heavy Fire Overnight
The heaviest fighting between Israel and Gaza since their war in 2014.
The fighting began hours after Palestinians and Israelis buried combatants who were killed on Sunday night, after an Israeli intelligence mission inside the Gaza Strip went awry when a team of covert operatives was challenged by Hamas fighters.
An Israeli bus was hit by an anti-tank rocket amid the violence which has caused deaths on both sides.
after a botched intelligence mission by undercover commandos of Israel left seven Palestinian fighters dead
Israel says its fighter jets have hit dozens of Palestinian militant targets overnight in Gaza after militants fired 370 rockets at Israel.
At least three Palestinians died in the strikes on Gaza, while a civilian was killed in a rocket attack in the Israeli town of Ashkelon.
Both Israel and Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, have threatened to escalate their actions.
The Israeli military said the station was a legitimate target. “It contributes to Hamas’ military actions, including by providing operational messaging to militants, directing and explicitly calling for terror activities against Israel, and providing guidance on how to carry out such terror activities,” the military said in a statement.
6 Hamas fighters, including a commander of forces in the Khan Younis area, and a member of the Popular Resistance Committees, another armed faction, were killed. An Israeli lieutenant colonel in the elite Maglan unit, a commando brigade, was also killed in the clash and was hailed as a national hero at his funeral.
The United Nations envoy to the region, Nickolay Mladenov, who has sought a cease-fire between Israel and Gaza, wrote on Twitter that both sides needed to step “back from the brink” of war. Rockets must stop, restraint must be shown by all!
