By: Annie Huang

On Sunday, August 7th, as the death toll continues to rise from air strikes in Gaza, Soldiers in the Israelian army have killed a second top militant from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group.

An Israeli official said that nearly 600 Palestinian rockets and mortars were fired at Israel since last Friday.

Six children and several PIJ fighters, including leaders Khaled Mansour and Tayseer Jabari are among the 31 Palestinians reported dead.

Palestinian rockets also fired from the Gaza strip which reached Jerusalem for the first time since the 2021 conflict.

Isreaelian official says it launched the operations due to “immediate threat” from PIJ. This latest violence was the most serious flare-up between Israel and Gaza since an 11-day conflict that took place on May 2021, which left more than 200 Palestinians and dozens of Israelis dead.

The attacks came after the death of senior PIJ leader, Khaled Mansour, who had previously survived five assassination attempts by the Israeli military. They accused Mansour of planning militant operations and air strikes out of Gaza, his target being an Israeli tunnel network.

Gaza’s health ministry blamed “Israeli aggression” for the cause of the deaths of Palestinians and for more than 200 people who were injured.

The US State Department urged all sides to avoid further escalation, confirming its support for Israel’s right to self-defense while noting their concern over reports of civilian casualties.

Link: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-62445951