Army spokesman says military could move beyond reacting to demonstrations and go after terror targets ‘in other places, too’gs on along the Gaza border, Israel will expand its reaction to strike the terrorists behind it.
IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronen Manelis said the military has thus far restricted its response to those trying to breach its border, but if attacks continue it will go after terrorists “in other places, too.”
Thousands of Palestinians marched to Gaza’s border with Israel on Friday in the largest such demonstration in recent memory, calling for Palestinians to be allowed to return to land that their ancestors fled from in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.
During the mass protests 16 Palestinians were killed and over 1,400 injured by Israel
Friday’s clashes were the deadliest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the 2014 Gaza War. Israeli troops used live ammunition, rubber bullets and tear gas to keep thousands of Gazans from congregating.
The Palestinian Authority declared Saturday a day of mourning for those killed.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas said Israel was “fully responsible” for the violence. In a speech broadcast on Palestine TV, Abbas said he has asked the United Nations to immediately work toward providing protection for the “defenseless” Palestinians. “The large number of dead and injured in peaceful demonstrations affirms the need for the international community to intervene to provide protection for our people,” Abbas said.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called Friday for “an independent and transparent investigation” into the deadly clashes, as Security Council members urged restraint and a lowering of tensions on both sides.
Jordan on Saturday condemned “the Israeli escalation” in Gaza and blamed Israel for the violence. Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad Al Momani called on the international community to pressure Israel to take responsibility for Gaza’s humanitarian situation.
“The lack of prospects for a thorough and just solution to the Palestinian issue, one that guarantees the right to freedom and dignity and a state for the Palestinian people, will only breed despair and bring violence and bloodshed — serving the region’s extreme ideologies,” he said.
During the Security Council meeting, which was called by Kuwait, US diplomat Walter Miller urged both sides to calm tensions, and said “bad actors” were endangering the lives of innocent protesters.
Miller said it was unfortunate that Israel rejected to take part in Friday’s meeting due to the Passover holiday. “It’s vital that this council be balanced in its approach,” he said. “We should have found an arrangement for all parties to participate tonight.”
Israel was condemned by the Muslim world over the violence, with many accusing it of using “disproportionate force” against Palestinian rioters.