Israel strikes Gaza Hamas sites after rocket
attacks
Israel says it has targeted sites in Gaza belonging
to militant group Hamas in retaliation for rocket
strikes.
Israel's military said it hit weapons sites early on
Saturday. Two people were killed, a Gaza hospital
said, bringing the deaths in Israeli strikes and
gunfire over the past day to four.
Three rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza late on
Friday.
Israeli-Palestinian tensions have risen since
President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as
Israel's capital.
Wednesday's decision reversed decades of US
neutrality on the matter.
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Israel has always regarded Jerusalem as its capital,
while the Palestinians claim East Jerusalem -
occupied by Israel in the 1967 war - as the capital
of a future Palestinian state.
In the latest developments:
Israel's air force followed a number of raids on
Hamas sites on Friday with more air strikes in
the early hours of Saturday, targeting weapons
manufacturing sites, a weapons warehouse and
a military compound, the Israel Defense Forces
said
Gaza's Shifa hospital said that two bodies of
Palestinians were found under the rubble of a
Hamas military site bombed by Israeli planes
overnight, bringing the death toll in the past 24
hours to four, with 160 injuries. The two other
fatalities came when Israeli troops fired on
crowds in Gaza during clashes on Friday
Of the three rockets fired at Israel, Israel's
military said it had intercepted one with its Iron
Dome defence system, one was found on
wasteland and another landed in Sderot late on
Friday. No casualties were reported
Earlier on Friday, Fathi Hammad, a senior Hamas
leader, said anyone seeking to move their embassy
to Jerusalem was "an enemy of the Palestinians".
Speaking before the United Nations on Friday, US
ambassador Nikki Haley said the US "recognises
the obvious; that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel".
She said the US continued to be "committed to
achieving a lasting peace agreement", and accused
the UN of bias, saying it "has outrageously been
one of the world's foremost centres of hostility
towards Israel".
"Israel will never be, and never should be, bullied
into an agreement by the United Nations or by any
collection of countries that have proven their
disregard for Israel's security," Mrs Haley said.
Israel had deployed extra battalions to the West
Bank in anticipation of violence after Palestinian
leaders called for protests after Friday prayers.
At least 217 Palestinians were wounded in
confrontations in the West Bank and East
Jerusalem, Palestinian medics said.
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There were protests held elsewhere on Friday
against Mr Trump's announcement.
Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters held
demonstrations in Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey,
Tunisia and Iran.
Further afield, protesters rallied in Malaysia,
Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Indian-
administered Kashmir and Indonesia, the world's
largest Muslim-majority country.
Why does Trump's announcement matter?
Jerusalem is of huge importance to both Israel and
the Palestinians. It contains sites sacred to the
three major monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Islam
and Christianity.
Israel occupied the eastern sector - previously
occupied by Jordan - in 1967, and annexed it in
1980, but the move has never been recognised
internationally.
Some 330,000 Palestinians live in East Jerusalem,
along with about 200,000 Israeli Jews in a dozen
settlements there. The settlements are considered
illegal under international law, though Israel does
not regard them as settlements but legitimate
neighbourhoods.
According to the 1993 Israel-Palestinian peace
accords, the final status of Jerusalem is meant to
be discussed in the latter stages of peace talks.
The last round of talks between Israel and the
Palestinians broke down in 2014 and while the US
is formulating fresh proposals, Palestinian officials
have said Mr Trump's announcement has
disqualified the US from brokering future
negotiations.
Why are British Muslim marriages unprotected by law? FEATURE / ISLAM MUSLIM MARRIAGE IN THE UK 60 percent Muslim marriages religious-only, unregistered 28 percent do not realise Islamic ceremony not legally recognised 66 percent know union has no legal status 50 percent do not intend to have marriage legalised - Source: Channel 4 survey Aina Khan Aina Khan is a journalist focusing on race, faith and identity. She's reading a masters in religion in politics at SOAS. @ ainajkhan United Kingdom Islam Europe, Maureen, right, was not entitled to financial support after her husband Rashid - the father of her child - passed away [Courtesy: Maureen] London, England - When Maureen wed her husband Rashid in a Muslim ceremony in 1973 in Bradford, she knew that should the relationship fall apart, she would not be entitled to share his assets. Her marriage was sanctified in the eyes of God, but in the eyes of the state it was "unregistered", not legal, and so financial protection...
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