The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned of what it called the “grave dangers” of the ongoing escalation between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, following a series of attacks against Palestinian cities.
In a statement published by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs today, Saturday, Egypt called for exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger, warning of serious repercussions resulting from the escalating violence, which would negatively affect the future of de-escalation efforts.
Egypt called on influential international parties to urge Israel to stop the attacks and provocative actions against the Palestinian people. Hamas fired a barrage of rockets into Israel at dawn on Saturday, as explosions were heard from several locations, after which sirens sounded in the streets of Ashkelon, Tel Aviv and other areas inside Israel. Israeli media reported that at least 22 people had been killed since this morning after nearly 2,200 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip fell on Israeli territory, in addition to a number of infiltration operations carried out by the Palestinian Al-Qassam Brigades inside Israeli territory.
The Israeli army named the military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip “Iron Swords”, according to an announcement by the Israeli army spokesperson.
The Inspector General of the Israeli Police, Yaakov Shabtai, said Israel is in a state of war, noting the existence of 21 active hotspots of clashes in the south.
The commander-in-chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, Mohammed Deif, announced the start of a military round against Israel under the name “Battle of Al-Aqsa Flood”, in response to what he described as “Zionist crimes against the holy sites and the detainees”.
In a statement carried by Al-Aqsa TV this morning, Deif explained that the operation carried out today came “in response to the continuous raids on the cities of the West Bank and because of the continued siege on Gaza”, noting that “the first rounds of that battle began with the launch of more than 5,000 rockets and shells”, which targeted military sites and positions, as he put it.
The armed group Lions’ Den called on those it calls “lone wolves” and “Palestinian gunmen” to move immediately, and demanded that all owners of shops and houses located near Israeli checkpoints and settlements remove recording devices and turn off cameras immediately.
The Israeli rescue agency Magen David Adom reported injuries from a rocket falling on a building in central Israel.
Footage from the Reuters news agency shows Israeli firefighters trying to extinguish fires in the city of Ashkelon, with thick columns of smoke rising from charred vehicles.
The Israeli Home Front Command declared a comprehensive state of emergency within eighty kilometres of the Gaza Strip, ahead of an emergency session that the Israeli security cabinet plans to hold at noon today to follow up on security developments.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant approved a wide-scale call-up of reservists to perform required duties in a variety of units, according to the needs of the Israeli army, as stated by the Defence Ministry’s office.
The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that the gunmen tried to take control of a police station in the town of Sderot, where armed clashes broke out in the area this morning.
