In light of the failure of mediation efforts to reach a calm in Gaza so far, the Israeli occupation army launched new raids on the Strip today (Saturday), and while several missile salvoes were fired towards the settlements around the Gaza Strip and Ashkelon, warning sirens sounded in Ashkelon and the settlements surrounding the Strip.
The Israeli forces stormed the Balata camp east of Nablus in the West Bank, which led to the outbreak of violent confrontations. The Palestinian Red Crescent announced that the Israeli army killed two Palestinians in the camp, and injured two other people, one of whom was seriously wounded.
The Israeli bombardment of Gaza was renewed, despite the Egyptian efforts for new negotiations aimed at reaching a truce between the Palestinian factions and Israel, after the failure of the mediation efforts yesterday.
Yesterday evening, Cairo presented a new formula for the cease-fire, which the Jihad movement responded to, but the Israeli response has yet to come. Informed sources revealed that the new proposal included a mutual cessation of attacks between the two sides, and a commitment to avoid harming civilians, but sources in the Islamic Jihad movement accused Israel of obstructing the Egyptian efforts.
The Islamic Jihad movement announced its adherence to the demands to stop the assassinations and return the body of the prisoner Khader Adnan, who spent last week in Israeli prisons following a 3-month hunger strike, in addition to stopping the flag march in the Old City of Jerusalem (next Thursday). Tel Aviv rejected those conditions, adhering to the principle of a mutual cease-fire.
For his part, the Israeli National Security Adviser, Tzachi Hanegbi, said that the Islamic Jihad movement has 6,000 missiles in its arsenal, and that Hamas has four times that number. Hanegbi said in a statement today: Israel is focusing on shooting gunmen in Gaza at the present time more than focusing on reaching a cease-fire that ends the latest round of cross-border fighting. He stressed that there will be no cease-fire before the Islamic Jihad movement announces a halt to rocket fire.
The situation erupted between Israel and the Palestinian factions since (Tuesday), and the occupation forces killed 33 Palestinians, including 6 children.
