Embassy of Georgia warns citizens in Israel about a possible missile attack
By Natalia Kochiashvili
Thursday, May 13
The Embassy of Georgia warns Georgian citizens in Israel: “A missile attack might be launched in the direction of the centre of Israel from 18:00. Ashkelon; Ashdod; Beer-sheva; In addition to Sderot, Yavne, Gadera, Kholoni, Bat Yami, Rishon Lezion, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak, Givataim, Ramat Gani, Ramat Aviv, Lodi, Ramle, Herzelia, Kfar Shmariahu are endangered. Please return to your place of residence. Refrain from being in the open space; When the alarm goes off, enter the shelter or the stairwell of the apartment building. Take care.”
Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Zalkaliani wrote on Twitter that the Georgian government is closely monitoring developments in Israel, condemning the violence.
The airstrikes have been going on for 2 days between the Israeli army and radical Palestinian militant groups.
On May 12, health officials in the Gaza Strip reported that at least 53 Palestinians, including 14 children, had been killed and more than 300 wounded since the clashes began. The Israeli army says at least 20 extremists have been killed in attacks on up to 140 targets in the enclave. 7 Israelis were killed and dozens wounded in a missile attack by a group known as Hamas, the ruler of Gaza, and Islamic Jihad.
The situation in the region has become extremely tense due to the possible eviction of several dozen Arab families from East Jerusalem. Such a decision was made by an Israeli court. This caused dissatisfaction among the Palestinians. On May 7, they threw stones, bottles and pieces of armature at police. To localize the conflict, police banned Muslims from coming to the temple mountain. According to Palestinian media, Israeli security forces used rubber bullets and sound grenades. After a while, the police stormed the third holy shrine of Muslins, Al-Axie's mosque yard and prompted people to leave it. The court’s decision on the eviction of Palestinians was postponed, but the clashes continued.
Militants in Gaza began firing missiles into Israel on Monday night, and Israel has responded by hitting targets in the territory. On Wednesday Israel said it had killed senior Hamas (the militant group that runs Gaza) officials in Gaza, and was also targeting missile launching sites. Hamas confirmed the death of its commander and other warriors. On Wednesday, a third high-rise building in Gaza was destroyed. Hamas said it was incensed by “the enemy's targeting of residential towers.”
The ongoing unrest in the Arab community of Israel has intensified in several cities over the past few days - in solidarity with the Palestinians and over a long-standing complaint that they are considered second-class citizens in the Jewish state. The violence was particularly severe in mixed, Jewish-Arab cities, including Lod, which surrounds a commercial centre near Ben Gurion Airport. The airport was closed overnight due to attacks.
According to the Israeli army, 850 of the missiles fired from the Gaza Strip either landed in Israel or were hijacked by the Israeli anti-missile system. 200 landed in Gaza.
Violent unrest in towns in Israel with mixed Jewish and Arab populations has led to hundreds of arrests. Lod near Tel Aviv is under is in an emergency mode. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the government would use all its strength to protect Israel from “enemies” in the outside and rioters inside. According to Israeli media, protesters set fire to a synagogue in the city and destroyed property.
The ongoing escalation of violence between Israel and Hamas is one of the worst since the 2014 war and raises international concerns that the situation could spiral out of control. Israel and the Palestinian Authority blame each other for escalating the conflict. The United Nations, the European Union and the United States have expressed concern and called on the parties to show restraint.
