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Conflict between Israel and Gaza militants continued to escalate Thursday following a series of rocket attacks launched into Israel and corresponding Israeli countermeasures.
Hamas militants fired the first rocket into Israel in months Monday and continued to ramp up the aggression, leading to a flurry of rockets Wednesday evening. Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have responded each time with airstrikes on Hamas militant targets within Gaza.
“In the last month, terrorist activity against Israel has been on the rise: 14 Israelis were murdered in terror attacks. Palestinians chose to violently riot at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Terrorists in Gaza launched multiple rockets into Israel–including last night,” the IDF tweeted Thursday.
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The escalation comes amid growing unrest within Israel, where a wave of Arab terrorist attacks killed 14 in March and early April. Israel responded to the attacks with crackdowns in the West Bank, which resulted in 15 Palestinian deaths.
Palestinian protests have also rocked the Aqsa mosque, known as the Temple Mount in Judaism. The area is a holy site for both religions, and thousands of Palestinians gathered there last week to pray during the month of Ramadan.
When the prayers were finished, however, many participants began protesting and marching in the area surrounding the mosque. It is unclear what initially sparked violence, but protesters were soon throwing rocks at Israeli police, who made hundreds of arrests. More than 150 Palestinians were injured in the incident.
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The spate of violence over the past two weeks is the most severe since the 11-day war between Israel and Gaza in 2021.
Israel blocked some Jewish groups from organizing a march into Palestinian neighborhoods this week. A similar march sparked the conflict last year.
