Israel-Palestine Conflict Update: Hamas Continues Rocket Fire As Israel Strikes Gaza

There have been reports of at least 20 deaths in Gaza after Israel conducted airstrikes. Amidst international bodies expressing concern over Israel’s handling of conflict in Jerusalem, the conflict has seen an escalation. The conflict was ignited over the forceful eviction of Palestinians from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem. It culminated in the raid of Al-Aqsa mosque leaving over 300 people injured.

Sheikh Jarrah has been a region of conflict in Jerusalem, where Israeli settlers, with the support of Israeli forces, have been pushing out Palestinian residents. At the beginning of May, some Palestinian families residing in the area were asked to evict their homes. The homes of six Palestinian families depend on the decision of the Israeli Supreme Court, which has delayed the case.

Muna Kurd, one of the residents under threat of eviction, said that Sheikh Jarrah has been their home since 1956, PBS reported. The forced eviction saw protests in Jerusalem. The United Nations called the evictions “illegal” and the United States national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, showed concerns over evictions.

The situation worsened as Israeli police, in riot gear, raided the Al-Aqsa mosque. During the clash in the mosque and in following clashes police used rubber bullets and flash grenades. Reuters reported that over 300 people were injured during the raid of the mosque. Videos on social media emerged showing the police firing flash grenades into crowds. According to the police 21 officers were hurt during the conflict.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appreciated the Israeli armed and police forces for their actions in Jerusalem. He said that it was time for “time standing up and standing strong” against the “forces of intolerance”.

This resulted in pushback from the Hamas militants. Since 2014, Hamas has not fired at Jerusalem from their base in Gaza. However, after an ultimatum to remove police forces from Al-Aqsa and Sheikh Jarrah rockets were launched at Jerusalem by the extremists. There have been no reports of casualties in Jerusalem. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki in the official statement said that the US condemned the attack on Israel from Gaza.

This attack crossed the “red line” for Netanyahu. In response to the attacks, Israeli forces engaged in an air raid on Gaza.

This resulted in at least 20 deaths, including nine children in Gaza.