A comprehensive strike in the Palestinian territories. And an Arab meeting in Cairo

Mutual shelling between Israel and Gaza in the wake of the Nablus clashes

Smoke rose during the interception of rockets fired from Gaza. Reuters

Israel and Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip exchanged shelling yesterday following the killing of 11 Palestinians in an IDF operation in the West Bank city of Nablus.

At dawn yesterday, rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, followed by Israeli air strikes on the Strip.

Israel said it intercepted five of the six rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, while the sixth landed in an uninhabited area. But witnesses in the Gaza Strip reported eight rockets fired from there.

No injuries or deaths were reported in this exchange of shelling, which caused sirens in the southern cities of Sderot and Ashkelon near the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said its rockets targeted a Hamas "weapons factory" and "camp".

Jihad claimed responsibility for firing rockets. A jihad source said that members of the group "fired a barrage of rockets towards the settlements around Gaza in response to the Nablus operation."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stressed yesterday during a cabinet meeting that "hit hard."

"We have a clear policy, strike with force. Those who seek to attack us will pay the price."

Prior to these nightly developments, UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed concern that the situation in the Palestinian territories was "more flammable" today than at any time in years.

The EU called on "all parties (to work) for a return to calm and a de-escalation of tensions."

Paris urged "all actors to refrain from any action that could fuel violence," while the United States expressed "deep concern" about the level of violence in the West Bank.

The strike yesterday spread to several areas of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, at the invitation of the Factional Coordination Committee, which includes representatives of Palestinian factions, to express "anger at the Israeli operation in Nablus."

Shops were closed and schools, universities and institutes were disrupted.

In addition to the deaths, the Israeli military operation in Nablus on Wednesday wounded 82 Palestinians with live ammunition, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

In Cairo, the Council of the League of Arab States held a meeting yesterday evening at the level of permanent representatives, at the request of the State of Palestine, to provide international protection for the Palestinian people and to condemn the crimes committed by Israel, the latest of which was what happened in Nablus.

In Ramallah, an official funeral ceremony was held yesterday for former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, who died last night at the age of 86.