Sirens sounded Thursday night in the south Israellike two missiles fired from Gauze towards Israeli territories were neutralized by the Israeli Iron Dome anti-aircraft system.

According to the Ministry of Defense of the country, four more rockets were soon fired, some of which fell into a non-residential area, and some were neutralized and fell on the Palestinian side. The Palestinian Islamic Jihad organization claimed responsibility for the attack.

This was followed by Israeli airstrikes in central Gaza where, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), an “underground missile manufacturing facility owned by Hamas” was hit. The military said they were confident the strike would deal a severe blow to the organization, with no deaths or injuries reported in the attack.

Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said earlier that the armed groups in Gaza “will continue to do their duty to protect the Palestinian people and their holy places and will remain the shield and sword of the people,” while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country did not seek to escalation of the situation, although he ordered the security forces to “prepare for all scenarios in all areas.”

The fighting comes after the military intervention of the Israeli army in the Palestinian city of Jenin on Thursday morning, which was carried out as part of a special operation to “neutralize terrorists” and led to the death of nine people, including an elderly woman. Seven of the dead were armed and, according to the Israelis, “were responsible for planning and carrying out large-scale terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers.”

The Palestinian Authority, which has limited powers in the country, is in a period of “cooperation” with Israel, which includes sharing classified information about terrorists. “This cooperation will end after the terrorist attack in Jenin,” said the head of the department, Mahmoud Abbas.

Many fear an escalation in violence could be the start of a wider conflict as Gazans tell Al Jazeera they see airstrikes on military installations as a harbinger of larger operations in Gaza, such as those that killed 49 people last August. .

After the Jenin attack, dozens of Palestinians gathered in the West Bank, burning tires and protesting the bloodshed. More demonstrations are planned in the coming days.

Blinken’s visit

At the same time, while Washington’s concerns about tensions in the region are growing, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will be in Jerusalem and Ramallah on Monday and Tuesday, respectively. The head of American diplomacy will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as with Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, and the next day with Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. He will discuss Israeli-Palestinian relations with them and try to encourage both sides to accept and respect the two-state solution. In addition, he will discuss with the Palestinian authorities the expansion and strengthening of the region’s relations with the United States.