Israel-Palestine Clash Death Toll Reaches 90... 17 Children Also Victims

Night of the 12th to early morning of the 13th
Israeli forces continue airstrikes on Gaza Strip
Hamas also attacks Israel with rocket launchers
US President Biden shows willingness to mediate
Conflict intensifies

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cha Min-young] The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 83 due to the armed conflict between Israel and the Gaza Strip militant group Hamas. Among them are 17 innocent child victims. In Israel, 7 people, including one soldier, have died. Although the international community is actively expressing its willingness to mediate, the conflict between the two sides appears to be intensifying.

According to foreign media including AFP on the 13th (local time), Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip continued from the night of the 12th to the early morning of the 13th. Hamas also did not stop rocket attacks toward major cities in central and southern Israel.

Since the large-scale armed conflict began on the 10th, the Israeli military claimed that 1,600 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip. Israeli airstrikes have been carried out about 600 times in total. The number of casualties continues to rise, with at least 90 deaths reported on both sides.

The Gaza Strip health authorities announced on the 13th that 83 people, including 17 children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes, and the number of injured rose to 487. The 'Al-Aqsa' TV station operated by Hamas was also destroyed by Israeli airstrikes. The Palestinian Authority criticized on Twitter that "Israel's military attacks are already causing suffering to 2 million marginalized people."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In Israel, 7 people, including one soldier, died due to Hamas rocket attacks. Between the night of the 12th and early morning of the 13th, collective violence between Jews and Arabs also occurred in various places such as Lod, Acre, and Haifa in Israel. The Israeli police announced that 374 people were arrested overnight due to the violence in these cities.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the current situation on the previous night as "anarchy" and said, "We plan to deploy military forces to calm the situation." He added, "Neither the violence of Arabs attacking Jews nor any violence of Jews attacking Arabs can be justified."

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said on the same day, "We are in a state of emergency due to nationwide violence," and "We will deploy large-scale forces to enforce law and order." This armed conflict in the Gaza Strip is estimated to be the largest since 2014.

The visible trigger of this incident was a religious event held during the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. On the 7th, during the 'Night of Power,' tens of thousands of Palestinian residents were performing religious ceremonies at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem, and some staged anti-Israel protests. The Israeli police responded with a strong crackdown, leading to intense clashes between the two sides.

Clashes between Palestinian protesters and police then spread to various cities in Israel. In the process, about 700 Palestinian residents and about 20 Israeli police officers were injured. Hamas demanded the withdrawal of Israeli police from the Al-Aqsa Mosque and began firing rockets toward Israel from the afternoon of the 10th, while the Israeli military deployed fighter jets to bomb the Gaza Strip.

The international community has also called for restraint from both sides, but the possibility of mediation seems low. According to AP News, President Joe Biden said at a White House press conference, "I spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and will closely cooperate with neighboring countries including Egypt, Jordan, and Qatar," and added, "I expect the conflict between Israel and Palestine to calm down soon."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.