Escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas spills over into mixed cities in the country

In the early hours of Friday morning, the skies over Gaza were once again lit up by Israeli bombardment. The military escalation between the Israeli army and Palestinian militias enters its fifth consecutive day as the death toll rises. Gazan medical sources report that at least 12 people were killed in the overnight attacks.

The Israeli military offensive has also hit the Al Shati refugee camp in the Palestinian enclave. Eight children and two women, all members of the same family, were killed by an air strike, reports Al Jaazera. However, Palestinian medical services have reported that the death toll is likely to rise as people are believed to be under the rubble. "We are still trying to recover more bodies and trying to find out who is who. This is a real massacre", Nabil Abu al-Reesh, a Gazan doctor, told Al Jaazera.

The Israeli army has not commented, although it has reported attacks on a military intelligence centre and facilities from which Hamas launches its rockets. The Hebrew armed forces have also intensified their bombardment of Hamas' network of tunnels.

In response to the attacks on Gaza, Hamas launched a volley of missiles into Israeli territory. Air raid alarms sounded again across the border in towns such as Askhelon and Ashdod in southern Israel. In the north, the army reported rocket fire from Syria into the Golan Heights. It would be the second attack on Israeli territory from a foreign country, after three rockets were reportedly fired from southern Lebanon on Thursday. 

Far from envisaging an end to the escalation or a ceasefire, Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the offensive "is not over yet". He has also warned Hamas and Islamic Jihad that they "will continue to pay dearly" for attacks on Israel. Palestinian militias have launched more than 1,800 rockets, 90% of which have been intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defence shield. This advanced defence system is capable of detecting missiles as they are launched. Nevertheless, Israel has reported the deaths of 8 people, including two children.

The escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas has spilled over to other parts of the country. In towns with both Arab and Jewish populations, unrest has increased in the wake of the events in Gaza. Cities such as Lod, Jaffa and Acre have witnessed pitched battles between Jews and Arabs. In the former, Lod, a state of emergency has been declared, although the media report that the situation is still "out of control".

Netanyahu described the events as "intolerable". Opposition leader Yair Lapid, on the other hand, accused the president of leading the country "to anarchy". "There is no government, no police, no leadership", Lapid added.

The West Bank is also experiencing riots between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces. Medical sources have reported the deaths of 11 people as a result of these clashes. Palestinians in the West Bank have been keen to show their support for Gazans, denouncing the Israeli bombardment that has claimed the lives of 132 people, including 32 children, since Monday, according to Reuters. Groups such as the al-Aqsa Martyrs, the military wing of Fatah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine have also mobilised and announced the launch of operations against Israel.

Meanwhile, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood, one of the architects of the escalating violence, clashes continue as Palestinian families fear losing their homes.

Protests in solidarity with Palestinians have also taken place on the Jordanian border, as Jordanian protesters demand Amman to act on the conflict. "Our aim is to put pressure on the Jordanian government to cut its relations with Israel as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinian people", Mohammad Hmeidi told Arab News.

Today will also be marked by mobilisations to mark the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe. In addition, a meeting of the UN Security Council will be held tomorrow to discuss this new episode of violence in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.