Israeli forces strike 9 rocket launch sites throughout Gaza

Tel Aviv [Israel], May 18 (ANI): As tensions between Israel and Palestine continue to escalate, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that they have struck nine rocket launch pads throughout Gaza on Tuesday.
The IDF also said it has struck the homes of 12 Hamas commanders in Gaza over the past day, including three this morning, Times of Israel reported.
It said the three this morning were on the home of “the deputy commander for the northern brigade in Gaza City,” the home of a “company commander” in Khan Younis and the home of another “company commander.”
The commanders used their homes as command and operations centres, according to the IDF.
Fresh rocket sirens were heard in the industrial park south of the city of Ashkelon and in the nearby communities of Netiv Ha’asara and Zikim.

Al Jazeera reported that at least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children have died since the beginning of the violence“>violence.
At least 42 Palestinians were reported killed on Sunday in the deadliest single strike.
Israel has said it does not target civilians, and that many of the dead were terrorists or killed by errant Hamas rockets.
Over 3,000 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel in the escalating conflict, killing about 10 people in Israel, including two children and an Indian national.
Israel fired shells towards Lebanon in response to rocket launches on Monday. A Lebanese security source confirmed to Al Jazeera that Israel had fired 22 shells towards Lebanon after it was reported that six rockets had been fired from south Lebanon.
This comes after US President Joe Biden, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, expressed his support for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas group. (ANI)

Israel-Palestine conflict: Calls for ceasefire grow as Gaza death toll crosses 200

As the Israel–Palestine conflict entered its second week, the death toll in Gaza has crossed 200, while about 1,500 Palestinians have been wounded.
Al Jazeera reported that at least 212 Palestinians have died since the beginning of the fighting, 61 of them children. 42 Palestinians were reported killed on Sunday in the deadliest single strike since the violence erupted a week ago.
Israel has said it does not target civilians, and that many of the dead were terrorists or killed by errant Hamas rockets.
Meanwhile, more than 3,000 rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel in the escalating conflict, killing about 10 people in Israel, including two children and an Indian national.
Israel fired shells towards Lebanon in response to rocket launches on Monday. A Lebanese security source confirmed to Al Jazeera that Israel had fired 22 shells towards Lebanon, after it was reported that six rockets had been fired from south Lebanon.
This comes after US President Joe Biden, in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, expressed his support for a ceasefire in the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas group.
“The President expressed his support for a ceasefire and discussed US engagement with Egypt and other partners towards that end. The two leaders agreed that they and their teams would remain in close touch,” according to a readout of the call released by the White House.
As the violence continues, calls for a ceasefire have been growing in the international community, with Egypt considered a key interlocutor in dealing with Hamas and negotiating with the Israelis on efforts to achieve a ceasefire.
Biden has faced increasing pressure from Democrats leading up to the call on Monday, particularly after an Israeli strike on a Gaza building that housed The Associated Press and other international media organisations.
Earlier, Biden had also spoken to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and discussed the violence in Gaza, in which he called for Hamas, the authority’s rival, to stop firing rockets into Israel.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu directed the IDF to push ahead with Operation Guardian of the Wall, reported The Times of Israel. “We will continue to act as necessary to restore peace and security to all residents of Israel,” he added.
However, a diplomatic source familiar with Egypt’s efforts to broker a ceasefire told The Times of Israel, “we’re close” and that it could be reached in “two days maximum.”
Israeli officials on Sunday indicated that a ceasefire could be coming after mounting pressure from US President Joe Biden and other American lawmakers following the recent airstrikes on Gaza
Senior Israeli officials told local media, ahead of a security cabinet meeting today, that calls for de-escalation are being heard and the Jewish country will move towards a ceasefire now that a number of military objectives have been accomplished against Hamas, as well as in response to the mounting international pressure.
Earlier this month, the escalation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict started when the unrest began in East Jerusalem over an Israeli court’s decision to evict several Palestinian families from the area. (ANI)

Israel not requesting US military support in Gaza Operation

Washington [US], May 19 (ANI/Sputnik): Israel has not asked the US for any additional support for its operations against Palestinians amid the ongoing military conflict, the Defense Department spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday.

“They [Israel] have not asked for any additional support. We continue to stand by Israel’s right to defend itself and its citizens. As you know, we have a strong bilateral military relationship with Israel and that has not changed as a result,” Kirby told reporters during a briefing.
Kirby also underscored that during the telephone conversation with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Gantz earlier in the day, the US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was clear that Washington did not want to see any additional innocent civilian lives lost on either side of the clash while supporting Israel’s right to defend itself. (ANI/Sputnik)

Israel hits back at Chinese state media for broadcasting ‘blatant anti-Semitism’

Beijing [China], May 19 (ANI): Israeli embassy in China expressed discontent over what it called “blatant anti-Semitism” expressed on a program ran by a Chinese-state media outlet discussing ongoing violence between Israeli forces and Hamas.
In the program on CGTN, a Chinese state-affiliated media, host Zheng Junfeng questioned whether US support for Israel was truly based on shared democratic values.
The 3.36-minute clip of the program was also shared on the CGTN Twitter handle.
The host said: “some people believe that US pro-Israeli policy is traceable to the influence of wealthy Jews in the US and the Jewish lobby on US foreign policy makers.”
“Jews dominate finance and internet sectors,” Zheng said, speaking in English. “So do they have the powerful lobbies some say? Possible.”
Replying to the clip, the embassy said: “We are appalled to see blatant anti-Semitism expressed in an official Chinese media outlet, we have hoped that the times of the “Jew’s controlling the world” conspiracy theories were over, unfortunately anti-Semitism has shown its ugly face again.”