Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas
The Ramallah-based Palestinian government on Tuesday held Israel responsible for the eruption of violence in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
“The occupation government is dragging the region into further dangers and tensions,” government spokesman Youssef al-Mahmoud said in a statement.
He warned the Israeli government against committing “new massacres against the Palestinian people”.
Meanwhile, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas traveled back to Ramallah from Kuwait to follow on the ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza, according to the official Wafa news agency.
The Israeli army on Monday evening dispatched tanks to the Gaza Strip amid mounting tensions in the region.According to Anadolu Agency correspondents in the area, the tanks were sent from various parts of Israel to Israeli troops located along the Gaza border.Meanwhile, the Israeli army said it had targeted more than 70 positions inside Gaza affiliated with resistance movements Hamas and Islamic Jihad in response to the launching of scores of rockets from Gaza.Additionally the Israeli military announced that it would send two more Iron Dome air defense systems to the region.Israeli fighter jets on Monday evening struck positions across the blockaded Gaza Strip in response to rocket launches from Gaza into southern Israel.Three Palestinians were martyred in the Israeli attacks, while nine were wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.Artillery units near the Gaza-Israel buffer zone have reportedly targeted concentrations of Palestinian activists in central Gaza, along with resistance positions in the town of Jabalia and the city of Deir al-Balah.Israeli helicopter gunships, meanwhile, also reportedly targeted several positions in southern Gaza.In a joint statement, Palestinian resistance factions announced that they had begun firing rockets into southern Israel in response to an Israeli military incursion into the southern Gaza Strip late last night.Israeli jets destroy HQ of Hamas-run TV stationOn Monday evening, the army said it had recorded the launch of at least 200 rockets from Gaza, including 60 it claimed were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system while the others fell onto empty land.At least 19 Israelis were wounded, with one -- reportedly a soldier -- in serious condition.Late Sunday night, seven Palestinians were killed -- including a senior Hamas commander -- when an Israeli military force staged a ground incursion into the southern Gaza Strip. One Israeli soldier was killed in the raid and another injured, according to the Israeli army.Video: Israel deploys military reinforcement near Gaza border
Israel dispatches tanks to Gaza border as tensions rise
“Abbas decided to cut short his foreign tour and returned back to Ramallah to follow on the Israeli aggression on Gaza,” Hussein al-Sheikh, a Central Committee member of Abbas’ Fatah group, said.
At least four Palestinians were martyred in renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza on Monday following rocket fire from the seaside territory. The Israeli army said more than 20 people were injured by rocket fire from Gaza.
Monday’s attacks came one day after seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in an undercover Israeli operation in the blockaded enclave.
Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire during protests demanding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral home in what is now Israel.
The number of Palestinians killed increased to four Tuesday amid renewed Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, with strikes ongoing throughout the enclave.
Fourth Palestinian dies amid renewed attacks on Gaza
The European Union and the United Nations on Monday urged the immediate end of rising tensions surrounding the Gaza Strip.In a written statement, Maja Kocijancic -- spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini -- said that "the escalation of violence in and around Gaza during the last hours is very alarming".Calling the firing of indiscriminate rockets and other actions such as targeting civilians "unacceptable", Kocijancic urged the immediate stop of all violent actions. "The EU urges both parties to step back from the brink and avoid any further actions that would contribute to the escalation, put civilians’ lives at risk, and jeopardise recent efforts towards reducing tensions," she said.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also spoke about Gaza in an interview with France24 in Paris.Guterres called it "an extremely worrying situation," stating that "the suffering of the people of Gaza is unimaginable".Israel dispatches tanks to Gaza border as tensions riseThe UN chief said that the tensions in Gaza should be defused as soon as possible, warning that otherwise it could turn into a "massive tragedy".Israeli fighter jets on Monday evening struck positions across the blockaded Gaza Strip in response to rocket launches from Gaza into southern Israel.Three Palestinians were martyred in the Israeli attacks, while nine were wounded, Gaza’s Health Ministry said.Artillery units near the Gaza-Israel buffer zone have reportedly targeted concentrations of Palestinian activists in central Gaza, along with resistance positions in the town of Jabalia and the city of Deir al-Balah.Israeli helicopter gunships, meanwhile, also reportedly targeted several positions in southern Gaza.In a joint statement, Palestinian resistance factions announced that they had begun firing rockets into southern Israel in response to an Israeli military incursion into the southern Gaza Strip late last night.Israeli jets destroy HQ of Hamas-run TV stationOn Monday evening, the army said it had recorded the launch of at least 200 rockets from Gaza, including 60 it claimed were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, while the others fell onto empty land.At least 19 Israelis were wounded, with one -- reportedly a soldier -- in serious condition.Late Sunday night, seven Palestinians were killed -- including a senior Hamas commander -- when an Israeli military force staged a ground incursion into the southern Gaza Strip. One Israeli soldier was killed in the raid and another injured, according to the Israeli army.Video: Israeli jets destroy HQ of Hamas-run TV station
EU, UN urge end of tensions around Gaza Strip
Egypt made contact with Israel to in an effort to halt Isralei "escalation" in the Gaza Strip, according to an Egyptian source."Egypt informed the Israeli authorities of the need to stop its escalation in the Gaza Strip and to abide by the course of calm and progress achieved during the past period," state-run Al-Ahram and Akhbar Al-Youm dailies quoted an unnamed a high-ranking Egyptian source late Monday.The source also stressed there were continued contacts with the leaders of the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip to reach a cease-fire.“All the Egyptian state's devices are concerned and closely follow the situation in the Gaza Strip," according to the source.Egyptian efforts comes after Israel launched airstrikes against Gaza late Monday after rockets were fired against Jewish settlements.Jordan demands halt of ‘Israeli attacks’ on GazaThree Palestinians were martyred in the attacks and nine others injured.The Israeli army said 200 rockets were fired from Gaza since Monday but the country’s air defense system, Iron Dome, intercepted 60 with most of the rest falling on empty land.In recent weeks, Egyptian officials have engaged in a flurry of shuttle diplomacy between Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, during which they held numerous meetings with Hamas, Fatah and Israeli officials.The talks were aimed at hammering out a truce between Israel and Hamas and achieving a degree of reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah following years of acrimony.Israeli jets destroy HQ of Hamas-run TV stationVideo: Fourth Palestinian dies amid renewed attacks on Gaza
Egypt urges Israel to stop 'escalation' in Gaza