Jerusalem/Gaza (EFE)
In a statement from the organization, the YIP spokesman in Gaza has denounced that the Israeli government “has ignored all the initiatives of the mediators” of peace and warns that “the resistance will begin from where the previous battles ended.”
According to this spokesman, today’s bombings are motivated by internal Israeli politics and stressed that “Palestinian suffering will not be the way for Israel to reach its public.”
For his part, Ismael Haniyeh, political head of the Islamist movement Hamas -which governs de facto in Gaza-, affirmed today that “the assassination of the leaders in a treacherous operation will not bring security to the (Israeli) occupation, but more (Palestinian) resistance )”.
“The enemy was wrong in his calculations and will pay the price for his crime,” he added, announcing that the enclave’s militias are already planning their response.
The Palestinian National Authority (PNA), which governs small parts of the occupied West Bank, has also warned that the Israeli attack on Gaza “represents a dangerous escalation that threatens to plunge the entire region” into conflict.
At least 12 dead in heavy shelling
The Israeli Army confirmed the attacks against YIP targets and some of its leaders, “responsible for the launch of rockets into Israel in the last month”, such as Jalil Baitini, Tareq Az Aldin and Jahed Ahnam, who were killed, along with some of their relatives and neighbors, including women and children.
A military spokesman reported that this operation, dubbed “Shield and Arrow”, is the response to the launch of more than a hundred rockets last week by Palestinian militias from Gaza into Israel, after the death of a Palestinian prisoner who remained for 86 days on hunger strike.
The Israeli Army, which said today that it was prepared for an escalation of several days, already responded last week with bombardments to those shots, but restricted to military objectives and causing only one death.
The exchange of fire ceased within 24 hours thanks to an Egyptian-brokered truce.