GAZA CITY: Exchanges of fire triggered by Israel’s targeted killing of a top militant in Gaza raged for a second day on Wednesday and showed little sign of easing, with 22 Palestinians killed.
Fresh rocket barrages were fired at Israel, which responded with strikes on what it said were militant sites and rocket-launching squads in the Gaza Strip.
Air raid sirens wailed and fireballs exploded as air defence missiles intercepted rockets, sending Israelis rushing to bomb shelters.
In Gaza, residents surveyed damage and mourned the dead outside a mortuary and at funerals.
UN envoy Nickolay Mladenov was expected in Cairo for talks on halting the fighting, a diplomatic source said, but a source close to the discussions warned the risk of further escalation remained high.
The armed group said it was not interested in mediation for now as it responded to the killing of one of its commanders.
Israel killed Palestinian group’s senior commander Baha Abu al Ata and his wife Asma in a targeted strike on Tuesday, prompting barrages of rocket fire in revenge and retaliatory Israeli air strikes.
The flare-up raised fears of a new conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza, who have fought three wars since 2008.
A total of 22 Palestinians have been killed so far, including Ata and his wife, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
The violence drew international calls for calm.
Britain’s foreign office said “we call on all sides to rapidly de-escalate the situation, and support the UN and Egyptian efforts to achieve that objective.”
Since Israel’s killing of Ata in what was believed to be a drone strike, at least 220 rockets have been fired into Israel from Gaza and dozens have been intercepted by air defences, according to the army.
There have been no Israeli deaths, though damage has been caused and one rocket narrowly missed cars on a busy highway.
Israeli medics said they had treated 48 people with light wounds, while schools were closed in areas near the Gaza border for a second day running.
On Tuesday, school closures included the commercial capital Tel Aviv. — AFP
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