In East Jerusalem, several dead in an attack near a synagogue

On the next day Israeli operations that killed ten Palestinians in the West Bank, an East Jerusalem synagogue was the target of an attack that killed at least seven people amid escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The day had earlier been marked by Israeli shelling of Gaza in response to rocket fire attributed to Hamas. Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Hazem Qassem, said the attack on the synagogue was “a revenge and a natural response” the killing of nine Palestinians in Jenin on Thursday.

• A shooting near a synagogue in East Jerusalem

On Friday evening, seven people died and several were injured in a shooting near a synagogue in Neve Yaacov, a neighborhood in East Jerusalem populated by Jewish settlers, according to a provisional report released by the Israeli police. Maguen David Adom (MDA), the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, said it had identified a total of ten victims hit by bullets, including a 70-year-old man and a 14-year-old boy.

Police say the assailant, who opened fire at around 8:15 p.m. during early Shabbat prayers, was “neutralized” after fleeing in a car. According to her, he was a 21-year-old Palestinian resident of East Jerusalem.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Account of a deadly Israeli assault on the Jenin refugee camp, the bloodiest in two decades in the West Bank

According to the Israeli Foreign Ministry, this shooting is the deadliest for Israelis since 2008, when an attack on a Jewish seminary in Jerusalem killed eight people. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has so far not reacted while the leader of the opposition, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid, described the attack as“awful and heartbreaking” on Twitter. The location and timing of the attack could trigger a heavy-handed response from Israel. Defense Minister Yoav Galant has scheduled an emergency meeting with his army chief and other senior Israeli security officials.

In the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the attack was “a revenge and a natural response” the killing of nine Palestinians in Jenin on Thursday. In several places in the Gaza Strip, dozens of Palestinians gathered in spontaneous demonstrations to celebrate this revenge, like in the center of Gaza City, where one could hear celebratory gunshots and honking, or in the city of Jericho, in the West Bank, where fireworks were launched.

On the international scene, the United States was the first to vigorously condemn the shooting: “It’s absolutely appalling”Deputy State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters. “We condemn this apparent terrorist attack in the strongest terms”, “We stand in solidarity with the Israeli people,” he argued, before adding that Washington was in “close contact” with the Israeli authorities. He specified that there was no change in the program of the head of the American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, who must go from Monday to Israel then to Palestine to discuss “measures to be taken for a de-escalation of tensions”.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary General, also condemned “firmly” this shooting, his spokesperson said in a statement. “It is particularly despicable that this attack occurred on a place of worship, and on the day of commemoration of the international day of remembrance of the Holocaust”said Stéphane Dujarric, before adding: “There is never any excuse for terrorist acts. They must be condemned and rejected by all”, “the Secretary General is deeply concerned about the current escalation of violence in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories”.

“This attack against civilians, at the time of prayer, and on the day of the international commemoration of the victims of the Holocaust, is particularly despicable”affirmed for its part the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release, condemning this “appalling terrorist attack”.

• Israeli bombings in Gaza

Demonstration against the Israeli army in Jenin, in the West Bank, on January 26, 2023.

Israel had earlier in the day carried out strikes on the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire blamed on Hamas. The Israeli army announced that it had carried out at least two rounds of strikes. No casualties were reported. The explosions particularly affected Gaza City, noted journalists from Agence France-Presse. Hamas’ military wing claimed to have responded with anti-aircraft batteries and surface-to-air missiles.

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Shortly after midnight Thursday night, two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israeli territory, according to witnesses and local security sources. Both shots were intercepted by the air defense system, an Israeli army spokesman said.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers “Gaza is a man who cries and does not want to say it”: the enclave crossed from North to South, between sea and wall

• The international community concerned about the escalation

On Friday, France urged Israelis and Palestinians “to refrain from fueling the escalation”calling “all parties to exercise restraint”. “France expresses its deep concern at the risk of escalation, including in the Gaza Strip, following an operation carried out by the Israeli army yesterday in the Jenin camp in the West Bank, of which several reports indicate that it would have caused civilian deaths”reacted Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The United Nations has called for an end to the “endless cycle of violence” in the occupied West Bank. “All those responsible for the violence will be held accountable”said the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on Twitter.

The United States has also expressed concern over the escalation of violence in Gaza. “We believe that all parties involved must urgently seek to defuse the crisis”White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in an interview with reporters.

The US State Department said it regretted the Palestinian decision to end security cooperation with Israel, saying “very important that the parties maintain or even deepen their security coordination”. The United Arab Emirates, which normalized relations with Israel in 2020, condemned the IDF assault and called for a meeting “urgent” of the United Nations (UN) Security Council.

“Since the beginning of the year, we continue to observe the high levels of violence and the negative trends that have characterized 2022”regretted the UN envoy for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, judging “essential to immediately reduce tensions”. Israel “don’t look for escalation” but get ready “to all scenarios”said Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, according to a press release. “The resistance is everywhere and ready for the next clash”commented for his part Tariq Salmi, spokesperson for Islamic Jihad, in a press release.

The attack on the Jenin camp marks the highest toll recorded by the United Nations in a single Israeli operation in the West Bank since 2005. Palestinian Health Minister Mai Al-Kaila accused the soldiers of firing tear gas inside the pediatric unit of the local hospital, which the army denied. A tenth Palestinian was killed on Thursday in Al-Ram, near Ramallah, the Israeli health ministry said.

These deaths bring to 30 the number of Palestinians, civilians or members of armed groups, killed since the beginning of the year in violence with Israeli forces or civilians. The Palestinian Authority has denounced a “massacre” and announced the end of security cooperation with Israel, a first since 2020.

Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Chronicle of a week of repression and violence in the occupied West Bank

Le Monde with AP and AFP


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