Israel Bombs Gaza Strip... "Response to Violent Protests"

Four Sites Including Weapons Factory Bombed by Fighter Jets

On the 16th (local time), Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) tanks and soldiers were deployed along the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian autonomous territory.

The IDF stated that on this day, rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip, governed by the armed faction Hamas, and were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system. This marks the first rocket launch targeting Israel from the Gaza Strip in three months since the "11-Day War" in May. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Minwoo Lee] The Israeli military conducted airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which is under the control of the Palestinian armed faction Hamas. They claim the strikes were in response to violent protests occurring near the Gaza border area.

On the 22nd (local time), major foreign news agencies such as AP and AFP reported that the Israeli military issued a statement saying that in the early morning, fighter jets bombed four Hamas weapons factories and storage facilities within the Gaza Strip. No casualties have been reported yet.

The Israeli side claimed that the airstrikes were measures taken in response to violent protests near the Gaza border area. The Israeli Border Police previously claimed that a police officer in his 20s, who was suppressing the protests, was seriously injured by gunfire from Palestinian protesters. Immediately after the airstrikes, the Israeli Border Police stated, "We will firmly respond with all available force against those who seek to harm us."

According to local media including the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the protests continuing since the previous day near the Gaza border area were held to commemorate the 1969 incident when an Israeli set fire to the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, located in the Old City of East Jerusalem, has been a central factor in Israeli-Palestinian conflicts.

Hamas stated that thousands participated in the protests and that 41 civilians were injured due to Israeli suppression. Among them, two, including a 13-year-old boy, are reported to be in critical condition.