Warplanes of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out more than 30 airstrikes on the southern and southwestern parts of the Gaza Strip on the noon of May 3, as the situation in the Palestinian region continues to escalate.
“We have just started carrying out an aerial strike of Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets across Gaza,” the Israeli military wrote on Twitter earlier.
The Palestinian Shehab news agency said that the Israeli airstrikes targeted positions and gatherings of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movement. The agency released several videos and photos of the airstrikes.
#شاهد الغارات على موقع للمقاومة جنوب مدينة غزة اليوم. pic.twitter.com/1liZH8DvGp
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) May 4, 2019
صور لغارات نفذتها طائرات الاحتلال في مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/b5k9WE6WAg
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) May 4, 2019
#شاهد غارات الاحتلال التي استهدفت موقع بدر التابع للمقاومة في محررة نتساريم بغزة قبل قليل. pic.twitter.com/ABcI6bgNgj
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) May 4, 2019
#صور الغارات الاسرائيلية التي استهدفت موقع بدر التابع للمقاومة في محررة نتساريم بمدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/jRMqXTC5lF
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) May 4, 2019
#شاهد غارات طائرات الاحتلال قبل قليل على موقع للمقاومة جنوب مدينة غزة pic.twitter.com/6WQjSSdXKG
— وكالة شهاب (@ShehabAgency) May 4, 2019
Meanwhile, Israeli sources reported that Palestinian fighters have launched more than 90 rockets at Israeli settlements around Gaza since the morning. According to Haaretz, at least one Israeli civilian was severely inured following a direct rocket strike to a high school in Kiryat Gat, near the city of Ashkelon.
The Times of Israel reported that the Israeli military Iron Dome anti-rocket system has successfully intercepted dozens of Palestinian rockets.
A day earlier, the Israeli military killed 4 Palestinian civilians and injured dozens others while they were protesting near the separation line around Gaza. The death of these civilians provoked the first rocket attack, which was carried out by the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and its local allies.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held security consultations with the military chief of staff and the head of the National Security Council over the situation in Gaza. The Israeli PM, who is facing an internal political pressure, will likely opt to de-escalate the situation, as usual.
