Israel has declared a state of emergency in the central city of Lod after rioting by Israeli Arabs, as conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants intensified.
Protests by Israeli Arabs broke out in Lod, a city near Tel Aviv, and escalated to full-scale rioting, with protesters throwing rocks at police, who responded with stun grenades.
On Tuesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency in Lod. Israeli border police have been brought in from the West Bank.
Cars were set alight and a father and daughter -both Israeli Arabs – died when a rocket hit their car and at least 40 people have died in some of the worst violence in years.
Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets deep into Israel, while Israel carried out heavy air strikes on Gaza. Israel’s military says it is targeting militants in Gaza in response to rocket attacks on Jerusalem and other areas.
The Israeli army said that over 1,000 rockets have been fired towards central and southern Israel by Palestinian militants since Monday evening, when hostilities suddenly escalated.
Residents have been warned to evacuate the 12-storey al-Jawhara Tower. However health officials say there were still civilians deaths.
The fighting came after weeks of rising tensions that were stoked by violent confrontations between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters at a site in Jerusalem that is holy to both Muslims and Jews.
The international community has urged both sides to end the escalation. The UN’s Middle East peace envoy, Tor Wennesland, also warned that both sides might be escalating towards a full-scale war.
Discover more from LN247
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
