Daily US Times: Violent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli troops have spread across much of the occupied West Bank, following days of hostility and bombing in Gaza.
At least 10 Palestinians have died in the West Bank unrest, while hundreds of others have been injured. Israeli forces used rubber bullets, teargas and live fire, as Palestinians threw petrol bombs. The hostility in the West Bank mark a broadening out of some of the worst violence in the region in years.
The conflict between Israel and Palestinians began on Monday and followed weeks of spiralling Israeli-Palestinian tension in East Jerusalem. The increased hostilities culminated in clashes at a holy site revered by both Muslims and Jews.
Hamas – the militant Islamist group which rules Gaza – began firing rockets to Israel after warning the country to withdraw from the site, triggering retaliatory air strikes.
At least eight have died in Israel and 126 people have been killed in Gaza since the fighting began.
Many cities and towns in the occupied West Bank were convulsed by angry protests on Friday, prompting international urges for calm.There were running battles between young Palestinians and Israeli soldiers, who appear newly emboldened by the events of the past week.
Meanwhile, there were protests on Friday at the Lebanese and Jordanian borders with Israel, in support of the Palestinians. State media in Lebanon reported that one man died after being hit by Israeli shell fire while protesting.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it conducted an operation overnight to destroy a network of Hamas tunnels that it dubbed “the metro”, but no soldiers had entered Gaza.
The Israeli military added that – over the course of Thursday evening and Friday morning – 220 more projectiles were fired from the Gaza Strip.
An 87-year-old woman died In southern Israel a after falling on her way to a bomb shelter near Ashdod. Other areas including Ashkelon, Beersheba and Yavne were also targeted.
You may read: Deaths mount as Israel-Gaza violence worsens