BRUSSELS—‘’The indiscriminate firing of rockets or other actions targeting civilians is unacceptable and must stop,’’ a spokesperson for the European Union said in a statement issued Monday on the escalation of violence from Gaza into Israel.
‘’The escalation of violence in and around Gaza during the last hours is very alarming,’’ the statement said.
Hamas and other armed Gazan factions launched a widespread rocket and mortar assault on southern Israel as evening descended on Monday, in an assault seen by the terror organizations as a calculated risk.
One person was killed and at least 20 others were wounded in the Palestinian rocket barrage targeting southern Israel on Monday.
The battering began with a shoulder-fired anti-tank missile that struck a bus near the Gazan border, injuring one Israeli, before more than 400 projectiles bombarded southern Israeli communities.
The Israel Defense Forces responded with a growing number of airstrikes on Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad targets across the Gaza Strip, including terror tunnels, weapons manufacturing sites and the destruction of Hamas’s Al-Aksa television station in the heart of Gaza City, which the military said passed along operational information to terrorists.
It is the harshest exchange of fire between the IDF and Hamas since 2014.
The EU urged both parties ‘’to step back from the brink and avoid any further actions that would contribute to the escalation, put civilians’ lives at risk, and jeopardise recent efforts towards reducing tensions.’’
‘’All violent actions have to stop immediately,’’ the EU statement said.
IDF spokesman Lt.-Col. Jonathan Conricus told reporters that Hamas in its actions is “bringing destruction upon the Gaza Strip,” and warned that the attacks are “unacceptable.”
Israel’s security cabinet is scheduled on Tuesday to weigh in on the continuation of its policy of restraint or a harsh military response. On Monday, Israeli Prime Minister held security consultations with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and other defense officials.