In an escalation sparked by soaring tensions in Jerusalem and clashes at an iconic mosque in the holy city, Palestinian rebels fired scores of rockets from Gaza, while Israel launched fresh airstrikes against them early Tuesday.
Overnight in Gaza, twenty-four civilians, including nine teenagers, were killed, the majority of them in Israeli attacks. In just 24 hours, more than 700 Palestinians were injured in clashes with Israeli security forces in Jerusalem and the West Bank, with almost 500 of them receiving medical treatment. Six Israeli civilians were injured by rocket fire Tuesday morning, according to the Israeli military.
Conflicting arguments over Jerusalem, which is home to major holy sites for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, fuelled this round of abuse, as well as previous ones. The city is embedded in the competing national and religious narratives of Israelis and Palestinians, making it the focal point of the long-running conflict.
A video of a live blast in Gaza has gone viral on social media as tensions between the two sides have risen.
The clip is from a live show presented by Maya Hussein, a London-based comedian. When the camera caught another blast causing tremors throughout, the woman was holding a live chat to address the situation in Gaza.
Sharing the video she said, “Wake up everyone! Explosions are happening in Gaza! Our people in Palestine are not safe! They are not sleeping! They need our help! Please share this with everyone! We need to stick together!”
The blast occurred just outside the home of one of the live chat members.
Gazans reported their homes trembling and the sky lighting up with Israeli strikes, outgoing rockets launched by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and Israeli air defense missiles intercepting them into the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Israelis fled to safety or collapsed on pavements in towns more than 70 kilometers (45 miles) along the coast as interceptor missiles streaked across the atmosphere. Hundreds of missiles were launched by Palestinian rebel groups, according to Israel.
