1 year ago
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- Rockets from Gaza acceptable disconnected alarm successful Israeli communities
- Cross-border occurrence followed Israeli raid successful West Bank
- Israeli raid killed astatine slightest 9 Palestinians
- Violence has surged successful West Bank successful past year
JERUSALEM/GAZA, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Israeli jets struck Gaza overnight connected Friday successful retaliation for 2 rockets fired by Palestinian militants, further escalating tensions aft 1 of the worst days of unit successful the occupied West Bank successful years.
The rockets fired from Gaza overnight acceptable disconnected alarms successful Israeli communities adjacent the borderline with the confederate coastal portion controlled by the Islamist question Hamas but determination were nary reports of casualties.
The cross-border occurrence came aft an Israeli raid connected a exile campy successful the West Bank connected Thursday that killed astatine slightest 9 Palestinians, including militant gunmen and astatine slightest 2 civilians, the highest single-day decease toll successful years.
Another antheral died successful a abstracted incidental successful al-Ramm extracurricular Jerusalem, bringing the Palestinian decease toll truthful acold successful 2023 to astatine slightest 30.
The raid, the latest successful a near-daily bid of clashes successful the West Bank implicit the past year, came days earlier U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was owed to sojourn Israel and the West Bank.
Palestinian officials said CIA manager William Burns, who was visiting Israel and the West Bank connected a travel arranged earlier the latest violence, would conscionable Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas connected Saturday. No remark was instantly disposable from U.S. officials successful Jerusalem.
The months of violence, which surged aft a spate of lethal attacks successful Israel past year, person drawn fears the already unpredictable struggle could spiral retired of control, triggering a broader confrontation betwixt Palestinians and Israel.
[1/2] Smoke and flames emergence during Israeli airstrikes successful Gaza City, January 27, 2023. REUTERS/Arafat Barbakh
The U.S. State Department issued a connection connected Thursday saying it was "deeply concerned" with the unit successful the West Bank and urged some sides to de-escalate the conflict.
The United Nations, Egypt and Qatar person besides urged calm, Palestinian officials said.
In Gaza, ample rallies were planned for the day pursuing Friday prayers arsenic residents inured to years of exchanges of rockets and airstrikes betwixt Israel and Hamas feared further clashes.
"We didn't slumber the full night, bombing and missiles," said 50 year-old Abdallah Al-Husary. "There is interest and determination is fear, immoderate infinitesimal a warfare tin happen. With immoderate clash successful the West Bank, determination tin beryllium warfare on the borders successful Gaza."
In the aftermath of Thursday's raid, the Palestinian Authority, which has constricted governing powers successful the West Bank, said it was suspending a information practice statement with Israel that is wide credited with helping to support bid successful the territory and preventing attacks against Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who returned to powerfulness this twelvemonth astatine the caput of 1 of the astir right-wing governments successful Israel's history, said Israel was not looking to escalate the situation, though helium ordered information forces to beryllium connected alert.
The Israeli Defence Force said Friday's aerial strikes successful Gaza targeted an underground rocket manufacturing tract and a subject basal utilized by Hamas.
Additional reporting by Ari Rabinovitch, Dan Williams and Ali Sawafta successful Ramallah; Editing by Gerry Doyle and Edmund Blair
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
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