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Israel and Gaza militants exchange fire after deadly strikes

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli jets pounded militant targets in Gaza on Saturday as rockets rained on southern Israel, hours after a wave of Israeli airstrikes on the coastal enclave killed at least 11 people, including a senior militant and a 5-year-old girl.

The fighting that began Friday with Israel's dramatic targeted killing of a senior commander of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad continued throughout the night, drawing the sides closer to an all-out war.

But the territory's Hamas rulers appeared to stay on the sidelines of the conflict, keeping its intensity somewhat contained, for now. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars and several smaller battles over the last 15 years at a staggering cost to the territory's 2 million Palestinian residents.

Shortly before noon, Israeli warplanes stepped up airstrikes in Gaza. After warning residents in phone calls, fighter jets dropped two bombs on the house of an Islamic Jihad member, flattening the west Gaza City two-story structure and badly damaging surrounding homes. Women and children rushed out of the area.

'œWarned us? They warned us with rockets and we fled without taking anything,'ť said Huda Shamalakh, who lived next door. She said 15 people lived in the targeted home.

Another airstrike hit an Islamic Jihad site nearby.

The latest round of Israel-Gaza violence was sparked by the arrest this week of a senior Islamic Jihad leader in the West Bank, part of a monthlong Israeli military operation in the territory. Citing a security threat, Israel then sealed roads around the Gaza Strip and on Friday killed the militant leader in a targeted strike.

A blast was heard in Gaza City, where smoke poured from the seventh floor of a tall building. Video released by Israel's military showed the strikes blowing up three guard towers with suspected militants in them.

In a nationally televised speech Friday, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said his country launched the attacks based on 'œconcrete threats.'ť

'œThis government has a zero-tolerance policy for any attempted attacks - of any kind - from Gaza towards Israeli territory,'ť Lapid said. 'œIsrael will not sit idly by when there are those who are trying to harm its civilians.'ť

'œIsrael isn't interested in a broader conflict in Gaza but will not shy away from one either.'ť he added.

The violence poses an early test for Lapid, who assumed the role of caretaker prime minister ahead of elections in November, when he hopes to keep the position.

Lapid, a centrist former TV host and author, has experience in diplomacy having served as foreign minister in the outgoing government, but has thin security credentials. A conflict with Gaza could burnish his standing and give him a boost as he faces off against former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a security hawk who led the country during three of its four wars with Hamas.

Hamas also faces a dilemma in deciding whether to join a new battle barely a year after the last war caused widespread devastation. There has been almost no reconstruction since then, and the isolated coastal territory is mired in poverty, with unemployment hovering around 50%.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 5-year-old girl and a 23-year-old woman were among those killed in Gaza, without differentiating between civilian and militant casualties. The Israeli military said early estimates were that around 15 fighters were killed. Dozens were wounded.

Islamic Jihad said Taiseer al-Jabari, its commander for northern Gaza, was among the dead. He had succeeded another militant killed in an airstrike in 2019. That set off a heavy round of fighting between Israel and the militant group.

An Israeli military spokesman said the strikes were in response to an 'œimminent threat'ť from two militant squads armed with anti-tank missiles. The spokesman, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, said al-Jabari was deliberately targeted and had been responsible for 'œmultiple attacks'ť on Israel.

Hundreds marched in a funeral procession for him and others who were killed, with many mourners waving Palestinian and Islamic Jihad flags and calling for revenge.

Israeli media showed the skies above southern and central Israel lighting up with rockets and interceptors from Israel's Iron Dome missile-defense system. It wasn't immediately clear how many rockets were launched, and there were no immediate reports of casualties on the Israeli side.

Overnight, Israel struck rocket launchers, rocket building sites and Islamic Jihad positions. It also arrested 19 Islamic Jihad militants in the West Bank, the military said.

The U.N. special envoy to the region, Tor Wennesland, said: 'œThe launching of rockets must cease immediately, and I call on all sides to avoid further escalation."

Following the initial Israeli strikes, a few hundred people gathered outside the morgue at Gaza City's main Shifa hospital. Some went in to identify loved ones and emerged later in tears.

'œMay God take revenge against spies,'ť shouted one, referring to Palestinian informants who cooperate with Israel.

Defense Minister Benny Gantz approved an order to call up 25,000 reserve soldiers if needed while the military announced a 'œspecial situation'ť on the home front, with schools closed and limits placed on activities in communities within 80 kilometers (50 miles) of the border.

Israel closed roads around Gaza earlier this week and sent reinforcements to the border as it braced for a revenge attack after Monday's arrest of Bassam al-Saadi, an Islamic Jihad leader, in a military raid in the occupied West Bank. A teenage member of the group was killed in a gunbattle between Israeli troops and Palestinian militants.

Hamas seized power in the coastal strip from rival Palestinian forces in 2007. Its most recent war with Israel was in May 2021. Tensions soared again earlier this year following a wave of attacks inside Israel, near-daily military operations in the West Bank and tensions at a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site. Israel withdrew troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005.

Islamic Jihad leader Ziad al-Nakhalah, speaking to the Al-Mayadeen TV network from Iran, said 'œfighters of the Palestinian resistance have to stand together to confront this aggression.'ť He said there would be 'œno red lines'ť and blamed the violence on Israel.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said 'œthe Israeli enemy, which started the escalation against Gaza and committed a new crime, must pay the price and bear full responsibility for it.'ť

Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad is smaller than Hamas but largely shares its ideology. Both groups oppose Israel's existence and have carried out scores of deadly attacks over the years, including the firing of rockets into Israel. It's unclear how much control Hamas has over Islamic Jihad, and Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a tight blockade over the territory since the Hamas takeover. Israel says the closure is needed to prevent Hamas from building up its military capabilities. Critics say the policy amounts to collective punishment.

___

Goldenberg reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Smoke rises following Israeli airstrikes on a building in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa) The Associated Press
Smoke pours out of a tall building after an Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City, on Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Israel unleashed a wave of airstrikes in Gaza on Friday, killing several people. (AP Photo) The Associated Press
The damaged apartment of Taiseer al-Jabari the Islamic Jihad commander for northern Gaza, following an Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Adel Hana) The Associated Press
The damaged apartment of Taiseer al-Jabari the Islamic Jihad commander for northern Gaza, following an Israeli airstrikes, in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) The Associated Press
Relatives react while waiting at the hospital to see the body of Islamic Jihad said Taiseer al-Jabari who was killed during Israeli airstrikes on his apartment in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) The Associated Press
An Israeli Air Force Apache helicopter flies towards the border with Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The Associated Press
Relatives react while waiting at the hospital to see the body of Islamic Jihad said Taiseer al-Jabari who was killed during Israeli airstrikes on his apartment in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) The Associated Press
Palestinian mourners carry the bodies of victims killed earlier in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) The Associated Press
Relatives kiss the body of Alaa Qadoum, at the morgue of Shifa hospital following an Israeli airstrikes on apartment of Islamic Jihad said Taiseer al-Jabari in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) The Associated Press
An Israeli soldier secures a road block leading to the border with Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. The Israeli military says it is sending additional forces to the area around the Gaza Strip as it braces for possible attacks after the arrest of a senior militant in the West Bank this week. Authorities closed roads and other areas around Gaza after a raid Monday night. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The Associated Press
Israeli traffic police blocks a main road leading to the border with Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. The Israeli military says it is sending additional forces to the area around the Gaza Strip as it braces for possible attacks after the arrest of a senior militant in the West Bank this week. Authorities closed roads and other areas around Gaza after a raid Monday night. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The Associated Press
Israeli soldiers near their tanks in an area near the border with Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Israel has closed roads near Gaza and sent in troop reinforcements as it braces for a possible revenge attack, following the arrest of a senior Palestinian militant in the occupied West Bank earlier this week. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The Associated Press
An Israeli soldier secures tanks in an area near the border with Gaza Strip, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Israel has closed roads near Gaza and sent in troop reinforcements as it braces for a possible revenge attack, following the arrest of a senior Palestinian militant in the occupied West Bank earlier this week. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit) The Associated Press
Palestinian mourners carry the bodies of victims killed earlier in an Israeli airstrike, during their funeral in Gaza City, Friday, Aug. 5, 2022. Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed several people, including a senior militant, and wounded 40 others. (AP Photo/Fatima Shbair) The Associated Press
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