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Ongoing Conflict Causes Israel to Reinforce Gaza Border

May 11, 2021

Throughout Thursday, the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine continued to rage on. Militants from Palestine fired off rockets into Israel, as the latter carried on with a rain of airstrikes. Up until now, over 100 people have lost their lives in Gaza, and seven were reported killed in Israel by rockets fired from Gaza. 

Moreover, clashes between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews continue to occur within the premises of Israel. The constant skirmishes have led to the President warn the citizens of the country of a potential civil war. 

Benny Gantz, the Defense Minister, went on to urge a massive reinforcement of the law enforcement authorities and security forces in Israel. He stated that the internal unrest will be suppressed at all costs. Over 400 people were taken into custody soon after the orders of the Defense Minister, among them both Israeli Arabs and Jews.

In addition, one armored unit, as well as two infantry units, were ordered to position themselves in close proximity of the Gaza border. Nearly 7,000 reservists belonging to the army were also called upon to help reinforce the security at the border. 

As of now, the country is still speculating whether it should start up with a ground operation or not. The armed forces in Israel are expected to present plans related to the potential offensive moves. However, it will need to be approved by several army chiefs, along with a handful of levels of the Israeli government. 

Experts have said that these four days of violence that have occurred in Israel and Gaza, are the worst since the year 2014. These clashes initially began due to the tension between Israelis and Palestinians residing in East Jerusalem. They were later fueled by the chaos that broke out at the holy site of Al-Aqsa Mosque, which is revered by both Jews and Muslims. This eventually led to a conflict that included an exchange of Israeli airstrikes and Palestinian rocket fire. 

Further developments on Thursday revealed that Lebanon fired off three rockets into the sea, located just off of the coast of the Northern areas of Israel. No group took responsibility for the occurrence. However, there are a bunch of militant groups that operate out of Lebanon, which includes Hezbollah. Back in 2006, this group clashed with Israel, leading to a war that lasted for more than a month. 

The military in Israel revealed that the airstrikes fired at Gaza hit a handful of targets. These include homes, businesses, and intelligence buildings, which are frequented by militants. 

The militant group in Palestine, by the name Hamas, has fired additional barrages of rockets at Israel from Gaza. Violence also broke out in various cities of Israel between different groups belonging to Israeli Arabs and Jews. 

As of now, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, KLM, have suspended all services to Israel. The flights on their way to Tel Aviv were also diverted towards the south from the city’s main airport. 

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