BRUSSELS—The European Union said Sunday in a statement that the ‘’rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel must stop immediately.’’
‘’A de-escalation of this dangerous situation is urgently needed to ensure that civilians’ lives are protected,’’ the EU said.
The statement added : ‘’Israelis and Palestinians both have the right to live in peace, security and dignity. Only a political solution can put an end to the violence. Efforts by Egypt and the UN to calm the situation have the European Union’s full support.’’
The European Union’s ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, sharply criticized the rocket attacks on Twitter, saying “firing indiscriminately against civilians (is) unacceptable.”
Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip on Sunday intensified their attacks on Israel, killing two more people and injuring several others with large rocket barrages aimed at the country’s south, a number of longer-range projectiles fired toward central Israel, and one anti-tank guided missile strike on a car near the Gaza border.
On Saturday, an Israeli father of 4 was killed after a rocket hit his Ashkelon homer during an overnight barrage.
Moshe Agadi, 58, sustained fatal shrapnel wounds.
From Saturday, some 600 rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza at Israel, with about two-thirds of the projectiles striking empty fields, according to the Israel Defense Forces.
In response, the Israel Air Force bombed a vehicle in Gaza City carrying a Hamas field commander who was responsible for funneling money from Iran to Gaza terror groups, killing him and wounding three others. The army also targeted dozens of sites connected to terrorist organizations throughout the Strip, including the homes of many terrorist leaders that the military said were used as weapons caches.