Gaza responds with rockets after Israel kills 5 Palestinians; 80 Hamas targets attacked

Agencies

October 27, 2018

Gaza City, Oct 27: A barrage of rockets from Gaza hit Israel during the night, the army said on Saturday, hours after five Palestinians were killed during clashes on the Israeli border, in a flareup that could jeopardise truce efforts.

The largest projectile attacks in months and the border fatalities came despite talk of progress towards an Egyptian-brokered deal to end months of often violent protests along the border.

"Overnight, dozens of rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at communities in southern Israel," the army said in a statement, putting the exact number in a separate announcement at 30.

"The IDF's Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted approximately 10 projectiles," the army said, adding that two rockets fell within the Gaza Strip while the others landed in "open areas".

Israeli medics said seven civilians were being treated for shock.

In response to the rockets, Israeli fighter jets, helicopters and drones struck "approximately 80 Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip".

There were no reports of Gaza casualties as a result of the strikes.

Hamas, the militant Islamist rulers of Gaza, did not claim responsibility for the rockets, but Israel holds it responsible for any launches from the coastal enclave.

"The rocket fire is conducted in a terror-filled atmosphere which is generated by Hamas in the area of the security fence and in acts such as tonight's events," the army said.

Islamic Jihad, the second largest militant group in Gaza, hailed the rocket fire in a statement as a response to "Israeli aggressions", stopping short however of directly claiming responsibility for the launches.

A Hamas official said that following the escalation Egypt was again seeking to negotiate a return to calm.

Earlier, five Palestinians aged between 22 and 27 died in separate incidents along the border fence, the Gaza health ministry said.

The army did not comment on the deaths but said around 16,000 "rioters and demonstrators" had gathered along the border, with some setting tyres alight and hurling rocks, firebombs and grenades towards soldiers.

Troops responded with "riot dispersal means", a spokesman added.

Three of the men were shot dead east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, while one was killed east of Jabalia in the north of the coastal territory, the health ministry said.

A fifth man died east of Bureij in central Gaza when a hand grenade he was holding exploded accidentally, witnesses said.

Palestinians have gathered for protests along the Gaza Strip's border at least weekly since March 30.

At least 212 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza since the protests began, according to figures collated by news agency.

The majority have died during protests, while smaller numbers have been killed by airstrikes and tank fire.

One Israeli soldier was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper along the border in the same period.

The protesters are calling to be allowed to return to lands their families fled or were expelled from in a 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel and which are now inside the Jewish state.

They are also protesting over Israel's crippling blockade of Gaza. Israel accuses Hamas of orchestrating the often violent demonstrations.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and much of the international community considers the Islamist movement a terrorist organisation.

The fresh violence could also scupper hopes of a deal to end the months of protests.

Egypt and the United Nations have been brokering indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel with the aim of calming the situation amid fears of another war.

Last week, a rocket fired from Gaza hit an Israeli home, narrowly avoiding killing a family. In response, the Israeli army carried out air strikes on around 20 Hamas targets in Gaza.

The London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat reported Friday that a deal had been reached that would see the protests end in exchange for an easing of Israel's blockade.

Hamas officials denied a deal had been struck but confirmed to AFP that progress was being made.

"We expect to reach an agreement very soon," a senior Hamas official said earlier Friday on condition of anonymity.

Israel also fully reopened its border crossings with the Gaza Strip this week following a week of relative calm.

It allowed dozens of trucks of fuel paid for by Qatar into the strip, having previously banned their entry in response to the border violence.

Israel says the decade-long blockade is necessary to isolate Hamas, while critics say it amounts to collective punishment of Gaza's two million residents.

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Israel launches new aggression on residential neighbourhood in Lebanon’s capital, many killed

News Network

November 24,2025

Israel has launched a new act of aggression on a residential neighborhood in Lebanon's capital, Beirut, killing and injuring about two dozen civilians.

The Israeli regime's military said in a statement that its forces carried out a so-called precise strike in a residential apartment in Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday.

The aggression targeted residential areas, killing at least five people and injuring more than 28 people, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.

Hezbollah announced the martyrdom of senior Hezbollah commander Haytham Ali Tabatabai and four resistance fighters.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun condemned the airstrike, calling it a clear demonstration of Tel Aviv’s disregard for repeated international calls to halt violations on Lebanese soil.

“Israel refuses to implement international resolutions and all efforts aimed at ending the escalation and restoring stability,” Aoun said, urging the international community to take action to prevent further aggression.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement also condemned the attack, holding the international community accountable.

“The international community bears responsibility and continues to provide cover for these attacks as long as it does not restrain the occupiers,” said Ali Abu Shahin, a member of the group’s political bureau.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced that the Israeli army carried out a strike “in the heart of Beirut."

Netanyahu reportedly approved the operation following recommendations from top Israeli security officials.

Two senior US officials commented on the Israeli strike.

The first official said that Israel did not notify Americans in advance about the attack. "We were informed immediately after the strike was carried out."

The second senior official said that the "US knew for several days that Israel was planning to escalate its strikes in Lebanon, but did not know in advance the timing, location, or target of the strike."

Speaking from the site of the Israeli strike, Lebanese MP Ali Ammar condemned the attack as part of a broader campaign of aggression that has targeted "all of Lebanon since the Washington-sponsored ceasefire."

He stated that "any attack on Lebanon is a violation of red lines; this aggression is part and parcel of the entity that targets Lebanon's dignity, sovereignty, and security of citizens."

Ammar went on to say the resistance is responding with "utmost wisdom, patience, and will confront the enemy at the appropriate time."

"Unfortunately, the enemy is emboldened to commit its aggression by voices within Lebanon that have turned themselves into tools that support its aggression," he added.

The Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital is the latest blatant violation of the ceasefire Israel signed with Hezbollah in November 2024, which was intended to end hostilities that had escalated into full-scale war.

An Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh camp near Sidon in southern Lebanon late Tuesday killed at least 14 people. It wounded several others, including young students, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

The military claimed the attack targeted “a Hamas training compound” used to plan and carry out attacks against the regime -- a claim that has frequently been made without evidence.

Hamas rejected the allegations as “a blatant lie aimed at justifying the massacre,” stating it had “no military installations in the Palestinian camps in Lebanon” and that the targeted site was merely “an open sports field.”

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli attacks have killed approximately 4,000 people and displaced more than 1.2 million residents across the country since October 2023.

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