Gaza Militants Fire Rockets at Israel Just Hours After Ceasefire Was Declared
WHAT NOW?
Gaza militants fired a new wave of rockets into Israel on Thursday, hours after a ceasefire was announced in an attempt to bring an end two days of heavy fighting between Israel and the Islamic Jihad group. This week’s violence in has killed at least 34 Palestinians, including three women and eight children, according to the Associated Press. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the new barrage of rockets and there has been no announcement from either side that it had violated the terms of the ceasefire. Both sides claimed victory after the agreement—Israel said it had successfully targeted militants in their homes, despite civilian deaths, while Islamic Jihad said Israel had agreed to stop targeted killings of the group’s leaders. The fighting was sparked Tuesday after Israel killed a senior commander of the Iranian-backed militant group. It’s been the heaviest fighting between Israel and Gaza militants since May.