Rockets fired from the Gaza Strip have killed five people in Israel as hostilities between Hamas and Tel Aviv continue to rage. Meanwhile 35 people, including 12 children, have been killed mostly by Israeli airstrikes inside the Palestinian enclave.
Of the Israelis killed, two were in Lod, two in Ashkelon and one in Rishon LeZion. One was reportedly a child. Their deaths came amid a surge in Israeli military activity, with Benjamin Netanyahu promising to expand the offensive against Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad, and adding: “This will take time.”
The prime minister has also declared an emergency in the town of Lod, southeast of Tel Aviv, following what police called “wide-scale riots” by supporters of the Palestinians.
The two sides have returned to the brink of war following weeks of confrontations, including a heavy-handed police response to worshippers gathering for Friday prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa mosque, a site holy to both Muslims and Jews.
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