News / Palestine

Israeli jet strikes southern Gaza, no injuries reported

Thursday, 21 June 2018 4:54 PM [ Last Update: Thursday, 21 June 2018 5:53 PM ]

This file picture shows an Israeli Air Force (IAF) F16 fighter jet shortly after takeoff from a military base in the occupied territories.

An Israeli warplane has carried out an airstrike against the southern part of the Gaza Strip as the Tel Aviv regime continues with its acts of aggression against the besieged Palestinian coastal sliver.

Palestinian eyewitnesses and security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Israeli warplane fired two missiles at a group of young men east of the border town of Rafah, located 30 kilometers south of Gaza City, on Thursday afternoon.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or the extent of damage caused.

An unnamed Israeli army spokesperson later said the fighter jet had attacked infrastructure used for releasing incendiary kites and balloons into occupied territories.

At least 131 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces since the “Great March of Return” began in the Gaza Strip on March 30. Fourteen children are among the fallen Palestinians.

Around 14,000 Palestinians also sustained injuries, of whom 300 are reportedly in a critical condition.

The Gaza clashes reached their peak on May 14, the eve of the 70th anniversary of Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe), which coincided this year with the US embassy relocation from Tel Aviv to occupied Jerusalem al-Quds.

On June 13, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a Turkish and Algerian-sponsored resolution, condemning Israel for Palestinian civilian deaths in the Gaza Strip.

The resolution, which had been put forward on the behalf of Arab and Muslim countries, garnered a strong majority of 120 votes in the 193-member assembly, with 8 votes against and 45 abstentions on Wednesday.

The resolution calls on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to make proposals within 60 days “on ways and means for ensuring the safety, protection, and well-being of the Palestinian civilian population under Israeli occupation,” including “recommendations regarding an international protection mechanism.”

It also calls for “immediate steps towards ending the closure and the restrictions imposed by Israel on movement and access into and out of the Gaza Strip.”

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