Palestinian militiamen from the Gaza Strip launched seven surface-to-air rockets today in the second consecutive day of violence in the area, after the firing of more than a dozen projectiles yesterday in response to disturbances between the Israeli Police and Muslim faithful in the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.
"Seven surface-to-air rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip and exploded in the air," an Israeli Army spokesman said, adding that "five were launched into Israeli territory and two into the sea."
None of the rockets was intercepted and so far no injuries have been reported as a result of the shots, which were apparently directed at an Israeli Air Force plane that was flying over the enclave.
These launches mark the continuation of the violence between Israelis and Palestinians after registering a day of high tension yesterday, with incidents in both Jerusalem and Gaza.
The Esplanade of the Mosques, where Al Aqsa is located, was the epicenter, with clashes both yesterday morning and evening between Israeli security forces and Palestinian worshipers.
These episodes left more than 30 Palestinians injured and some 350 detained, and marked the first incident of violence at the site since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan two weeks ago.
The clashes on the Esplanade triggered a strong reaction from the Arab world and from the international community, and generated the reaction of the militias in Gaza, which launched a total of eleven rockets in several rounds.
The Israeli Army responded to the first rounds of rocket fire on Wednesday morning with bombardments on targets of the Islamist Hamas movement, which rules de facto in the Strip and which Israel holds responsible for any hostility emanating from there.
Yesterday's violence on the Esplanade, which represents the holiest site for Judaism and the third holiest for Islam, marks a repeat of similar incidents in recent years, also during Ramadan and sparking exchanges of fire with Gaza.
For the second consecutive year, the Muslim holy month coincides in 2023 with the Pesaj (Jewish Passover) celebrations, which began last night and which usually registers an increase in the number of Jews visiting the Esplanade, generating the reaction of Palestinian faithful.
On the other hand, the incidents of yesterday and today are not isolated but take place within the framework of the most violent start to the year in the area in almost two decades, with the increase in attacks by both Palestinians and Jewish settlers in the West Bank, as well as such as the increase in violent Israeli raids in the occupied territories.
The number of Palestinian deaths in episodes of violence with Israelis in the occupied West Bank so far this year has risen to 92, while on the Israeli side 15 people have died victims of attacks by Palestinians or Arab-Israelis.
According to the criteria of The Trust Project
