Morning update
Good morning MEE readers,
We continue our coverage of the Israeli assault on Gaza as it enters its second day.
A Palestinian man identified as Tameem Hijazi was killed on Saturday morning in Khan Younis, taking the death toll to 11 since Israeli bombardment began on Friday afternoon.
More than 80 people have been wounded so far, with many in critical condition, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Translation: A photo of the martyr Tamim Ghassan Hijazi, who was killed in the occupation's bombing, east of Khan Younis, in the south of the Gaza Strip.
Overnight, Israeli jets continued to bomb several areas in the besieged strip, while dozens of Palestinian rockets were fired in response, triggering sirens across Israeli cities in the south.
One Israeli was lightly wounded in the Eshkol regional council south of Gaza in southern Israel after rocket shrapnel landed in the area.
The Israeli army also carried out overnight raids on Palestinian towns near Ramallah and Hebron in the occupied West Bank, arresting 20 people.
The Israeli assault on Friday is the most serious round of violence since last year's war in May.
During the 11-day campaign in 2021, the Israeli army killed 256 Palestinians, including 66 children. In Israel, 13 people were killed by Palestinian rockets, including two children.
Late on Friday, Egyptian mediators were in contact with both Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza, seeking to bring hostilities to a quick end, according to Egyptian media.
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), Israel's declared target in the operation, said it was not time for truce talks.
Ran Kochav, a spokesperson of the Israeli army, also said Israel is not holding any negotiations and was preparing for the operation to last for a week.
Meanwhile, Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, Jerusalem and within Israel are planning to hold demonstrations against the Israeli assault later on Saturday.
Protests are expected in Haifa, Umm al-Fahm, Jerusalem, Ramallah and other West Bank cities.
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