The Israeli army announced today, Friday, that its forces have launched strikes in the Gaza Strip, where clashes have been ongoing for days between Palestinians and Israeli forces along the separation fence. The army did not provide any details about the strikes, but media outlets affiliated with Hamas reported that security sites were hit. The Palestinian Ministry of Health indicated that 14 people were injured by Israeli army gunfire during confrontations that erupted along the eastern border of Gaza. Palestinian media noted that loud explosions were heard east of Gaza City due to blast detonations near the separation fence.
For the sixth consecutive day, hundreds of Palestinian youths have been demonstrating near the fence in condemnation of settlers' incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and ongoing violations in the West Bank.
Sources mentioned to "Wafa" that Israeli forces arrested a young man named Bilal Saleh Al-Ghazali from the town of Al-Jib northwest of Jerusalem, on the pretext of raising the Palestinian flag in the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque.
**Raids and Assaults**
Violence in the West Bank has intensified for over a year with increased Israeli military raids and a rise in settler attacks on Palestinian villages, alongside a wave of Palestinian assaults targeting Israelis.
In Gaza, Hamas officials defended the protests organized to address issues including the treatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and Jewish visits to Al-Aqsa Mosque. Hamas spokesperson Abdul-Latif Al-Qanou said, "Our people are in a state of continuous engagement with the enemy."
In response to the clashes, Israel closed the Beit Hanoun crossing, preventing about 18,000 Gaza residents with permits to work in the West Bank and Israel from reaching their jobs, cutting off income desperately needed in the sector.
Palestinian officials and UN representatives mention that the ongoing 16-year Israeli blockade hinders economic recovery in the sector, while Hamas leaders claim that Israeli sanctions are partly aimed at inciting the population against the rule of the Islamist movement. Israel argues that its blockade is essential to prevent the flow of weapons to Hamas, with which it has fought several wars since 2007.
