Air Strikes, Rocket Attacks Push Israel, Gaza into Second Day of Fighting

Rockets are fired by fighters from Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in east Gaza City, 05 August 2022. (EPA)
Rockets are fired by fighters from Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in east Gaza City, 05 August 2022. (EPA)
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Air Strikes, Rocket Attacks Push Israel, Gaza into Second Day of Fighting

Rockets are fired by fighters from Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in east Gaza City, 05 August 2022. (EPA)
Rockets are fired by fighters from Al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, in east Gaza City, 05 August 2022. (EPA)

Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets deep into Israel on Saturday, a day after an Israeli operation against the "Islamic Jihad" militant group set off a cross-border flare-up that ended more than a year of relative calm.

Islamic Jihad fired rocket salvoes as far as Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, after Israel killed one of the group's senior commanders in a surprise daytime air strike on a Gaza City tower on Friday.

Israel struck more Islamic Jihad militants and weapon depots hidden in residential areas on Saturday, the military said. Bombings of at least five houses sent huge clouds of smoke and debris into the air, as explosions rocked Gaza and ambulances rushed through the streets.

The Israeli strikes have killed 15 Palestinians, including at least four other Islamic Jihad militants and three civilians, among them a child, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. It added scores more had been wounded.

Palestinian militants fired at least 200 rockets at Israel - most of them intercepted, setting off air raids sirens and sending people running to bomb shelters. There were no reports of serious casualties, the Israeli ambulance service said.

Egypt said it was engaged in intensive talks to calm the situation. Further escalation would largely depend on whether Hamas, the movement which controls Gaza, would opt to join the fighting.

An Egyptian intelligence delegation headed by Major General Ahmed Abdelkhaliq arrived in Israel on Saturday and would be travelling to Gaza for mediation talks, two Egyptian security sources said. They were hoping to secure a day's ceasefire in order to carry out the talks, the sources added.

Islamic Jihad signaled no ceasefire was imminent.

"The time now is for resistance, not a truce," a group official told Reuters. The group has not said how many of its members have been killed since Friday.

Concern

Around 2.3 million Palestinians are packed into the narrow coastal Gaza Strip, with Israel and Egypt tightly restricting movement of people and goods in and out of the enclave and imposing a naval blockade, citing security concerns.

Israel stopped the planned transport of fuel into Gaza shortly before it struck on Friday, crippling the territory's lone power plant and reducing electricity to around 8 hours per day and drawing warnings from health officials that hospitals would be severely impacted within days.

The frontier had been largely quiet since May 2021, when 11 days of fierce fighting between Israel and militants left at least 250 in Gaza and 13 in Israel dead.

UN and EU Mideast envoys expressed concern about the violence and the Western-backed Palestinian Authority condemned Israel's attacks. US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides said on Twitter that "Israel has a right to protect itself."

Gaza streets were largely deserted on Saturday afternoon. At the site where top Islamic Jihad commander Tayseer al-Jaabari was killed, rubble, glass and furniture were strewn along the street.

In Israel, border town streets were largely empty while brushfires sparked by rockets spread through nearby fields.

Islamic Jihad said it had fired a missile at Israel's main international gateway, Ben Gurion Airport, but the rocket fell short around 20 kilometers (12 miles) away. The Civil Aviation Authority said the airport was operating normally.

Tensions rose this week after Israeli forces arrested an Islamic Jihad commander in the occupied West Bank, drawing threats of retaliation from the group. The military said it had apprehended 19 more members of the group there on Saturday.

Israeli Defense Minister said dozens of the group's rocket facilities in Gaza had been destroyed. Prime Minister Yair Lapid said the operation thwarted an imminent attack by Islamic Jihad, which is backed by Iran and designated as a terrorist organization by the West.

Israeli political analysts said the military operation provided Lapid with an opportunity to bolster his security credentials ahead of a Nov. 1 election.



Egypt, Türkiye Agree to Establish Joint University in Cairo

The Egyptian-Turkish delegations meet at the Egyptian education ministry in Cairo: Photo: President of Türkiye’s Higher Education Council account on X
The Egyptian-Turkish delegations meet at the Egyptian education ministry in Cairo: Photo: President of Türkiye’s Higher Education Council account on X
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Egypt, Türkiye Agree to Establish Joint University in Cairo

The Egyptian-Turkish delegations meet at the Egyptian education ministry in Cairo: Photo: President of Türkiye’s Higher Education Council account on X
The Egyptian-Turkish delegations meet at the Egyptian education ministry in Cairo: Photo: President of Türkiye’s Higher Education Council account on X

Egypt and Türkiye have agreed to collaborate on the establishment of a joint university in Cairo in implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed during Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s visit to Ankara on September 4.

President of Türkiye’s Higher Education Council (YOK) Erol Ozvar said Thursday that the two countries are keen to consolidate collaboration in different areas, including education.

During a visit to Cairo, Ozvar described the agreement to establish the university as “one of the most crucial steps taken by both states in recent years.” He indicated that a mutual council will be formed to oversee the process, with the names of the council members to be announced in due course.

Ozvar revealed that he held discussions with the Egyptian education minister, Mohamed Ayman Ashour, to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

Ozvar also noted that they discussed the possibility of holding an annual forum between Turkish and Egyptian universities. “By bringing together universities from both countries in both Türkiye and Egypt, these gatherings would provide a platform for rectors and faculty members to share ideas, experiences, and best practices,” he said.