Palestinian death toll climbs to 24, 69 Wounded
New defense minister says IDF will not hesitate to target more Gaza militants
Palestinian Authority condemns Israeli attacks
UN mediator in Cairo over Israel-Gaza escalation
Netanyahu said on Wednesday at the start of a special Cabinet meeting that the Iranian-backed militant groups better internalize Israel’s determination before it is too late for them.
Netanyahu says militants have a choice: “Either stop these attacks or absorb more and more blows.”
At least 24 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza, including a father and his two sons, as the military continued its air campaign for a second day Wednesday.
The Israeli military says more than 250 rockets have been fired at Israeli communities since the violence erupted following an Israeli airstrike that killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander accused of being the mastermind of attacks. It marks the heaviest round of fighting in months.
The latest flare up was triggered by Israel's assassination of a top member of the Islamic Jihad on Tuesday morning, and is showing little sign of easing.
The enclave's ministry said 69 people had also been wounded during the bombardment.
Some of the bodies of those killed in Gaza City were brought into Shifa hospital in taxis and ambulances early on Wednesday, as relatives wept and screamed, the Reuters news agency reported.
Islamic Jihad confirmed that two of its fighters were killed in separate strikes south of Gaza City during the morning. It identified one of the men as Khaled Farraj.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a series of strikes on Islamic Jihad targets on Wednesday in response to new rocket fire from Gaza.
It said one of the targets was a rocket launching squad which it hit.
Air raid sirens sounded in the Israeli towns of Ashkelon and Netivot near the Gaza border.
Israeli air defences intercepted 90 percent of the rockets, it added.
Abu Musaab al-Breem, spokesman of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said: What’s going on is retaliation for the assassination of Abu al-Atta and is coordinated by all Palestinian factions.
The enclave's ministry said 69 people had also been wounded during the bombardment.
Some of the bodies of those killed in Gaza City were brought into Shifa hospital in taxis and ambulances early on Wednesday, as relatives wept and screamed, the Reuters news agency reported.
Islamic Jihad confirmed that two of its fighters were killed in separate strikes south of Gaza City during the morning. It identified one of the men as Khaled Farraj.
The Israeli military said it had carried out a series of strikes on Islamic Jihad targets on Wednesday in response to new rocket fire from Gaza.
It said one of the targets was a rocket launching squad which it hit.
Air raid sirens sounded in the Israeli towns of Ashkelon and Netivot near the Gaza border.
Israeli air defences intercepted 90 percent of the rockets, it added.
Abu Musaab al-Breem, spokesman of Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, said: What’s going on is retaliation for the assassination of Abu al-Atta and is coordinated by all Palestinian factions.
Naftali Bennett’s comments on Wednesday were his first as Israel’s new defense minister.
He says Israel is sending a clear message to its enemies: “Whoever plans to hard us during the day, will never be safe to make it through the night.”
The message comes a day after a pre-dawn strike killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza and triggered hundreds of rockets fired toward Israel, the heaviest fighting in months between Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group that’s even more hard-line than Gaza’s Hamas rulers.
Bennett took office on Tuesday to fortify Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political base. He has long advocated tougher action against Palestinian militants.
Palestinian Authority condemns Israeli attacks
A spokesman for Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said the "Israeli escalation" must immediately stop, Wafa news agency reported.
Abbas is exerting efforts to stop the escalation, Nabil Abu Rudeineh said in a statement.
He called on the international community to immediately intervene to pressure Israel to stop its "continued aggression", and to respect international law, Wafa added.
UN mediator in Cairo over Israel-Gaza escalation
Egyptian officials say U.N. Mideast envoy has arrived in Cairo in efforts to deescalate the worst escalation between Israel and Gaza militants in recent months.
The officials say that Nickolay Mladenov landed on Wednesday from Tel Aviv and is scheduled to meet President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
Egypt has stepped up communication with Israel and the militants in Gaza, and has “opened channels” with the U.S. and the European Union. Cairo often acts as a mediator between Israel and Gaza militants, and brokered a cease-fire deal in May.
The latest bout of violence started after a pre-dawn Israeli airstrike in Gaza killed a senior Islamic Jihad commander on Tuesday. The militants in Gaza responded with barrages of rockets fired into Israel.
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