The latest Israeli air strikes on Gaza overnight has Hamas promising retaliation after several fighters died. Tension in the region has been difficult to overcome since the recent kidnappings and killings of four teenagers on both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The attacks led to the return fire of rockets from Gaza into Israel. It wasn't immediately clear how many Hamas fighters died as various media outlets report nine militants died with either six or seven belonging to Hamas. (Via Sky News)
Following the air strikes by the Israeli Air Force, Hamas issued a statement reading, "The enemy will pay a tremendous price" for the killings. (Via Sky News)
CNN's international correspondent reporting from Jerusalem noted Israeli Defense Forces gathered on the Gaza border, but were still taking up defensive positions.
DIANA MAGNAY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: "Their priority, according to the Israelis, is to de-escalate the situation, but you can see from the clashes that took place in east Jerusalem last week after Mohamed's death tensions are very high."
"Mohamed" being Mohamed Abu Khdeir, the Palestinian teen kidnapped and burned alive last week in what many saw as retaliation for the murder of three Israeli teens. (Via The Guardian)
Before his burial Friday, thousands of mourners carried Khdeir's body wrapped in a Palestinian flag through East Jerusalem. (Via Euronews)
CNN reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Khdeir's father Monday and promised those responsible would be "dealt with."
Netanyahu made that claim possibly with a confession already in hand. Police arrested six Israelis Sunday for Khdeir's murder, and outlets based in the region report some admitted to killing the teen.
While The Jerusalem Post reported one of the six confessed, Haaretz said three of the six suspects told police they killed Khdeir and re-enacted the murder by following the route their car took after kidnapping him.
The fallout from the four murders has been widespread, including Khdeir's cousin — an American visiting his family for the summer — being beaten during protests in Jerusalem. (Via RT)
Some have even speculated the protests, clashes and violence could spark a new intifada — uprisings that shook the region in the 1980s and early 2000s. (Via The Washington Post)
Besides the air strikes, Sky News reports authorities also announced 110 people were arrested overnight for disrupting public order.
