Gaza, new Israeli raids in response to rocket fire: two Palestinians dead

The escalation of violence between the Israeli army and Islamic jihad continues after the killing yesterday of a group commander. In two days there are at least 12 victims in the Strip. The UN special envoy in Cairo seeking mediation. The EU Court of Justice demands indication of the origin of goods, specifying whether they are produced in the occupied territories.

Gaza (AsiaNews / Agencies) - A series of Israeli air force raids in the early hours of today, in response to a new rocket launch from the Strip, caused two new victims in Gaza. This is according to sources in the health ministry of the enclave controlled by the Palestinian extremist movement Hamas, just over 24 hours after the beginning of a new wave of violence in the area.

The latest round of tension was triggered by the killing of an Islamic Jihad commander (along with his wife) in the Strip during an operation by Israeli security forces. He was suspected of planning and continuing to plan attacks on Israel.

With the two victims of today the number of dead among the Palestinians rises to 12.

Analysts and experts point out that this is the worst wave of violence in recent months in the area. However, at the moment the clashes involve the Israeli army and members of Islamic Jihad in the Strip, while Hamas seems so far to remain outside of the fighting. A diplomatic source says that the UN special envoy for the Middle East is heading to Cairo, Egypt, to mediate a ceasefire.

This morning the Israeli air force hit several Islamic Jihad positions in Gaza. Since yesterday, at least 220 rockets have departed from the Strip towards the south of Israel, without causing victims. 90% of these were intercepted by the flak. The alert was also taken in Tel Aviv, the country's main economic and commercial center. In the towns of Netivot and Ashkelon, even this morning the inhabitants awoke to the sound of alarm sirens.

Meanwhile, the EU Court of Justice in Luxembourg yesterday issued a sentence destined to fuel controversy. According to the judges, in fact, a consumer of the Union must be able to know the origin of a product and know if it comes from one of the occupied territories. For European jurisdictions the entry of a commodity will therefore be conditioned to the indication on the labels of food coming from an "Israeli settlement" located in one of the "territories occupied by the State of Israel".

For the Court, in the absence of such an indication the consumer could be deceived and not express his or her choice freely. Therefore the wording "Made in Israel" is not enough, but a further specification will be needed. The reaction of the Israeli government has been immediate, which speaks of an unjust and discriminatory decision. For the judges, the right of the consumer to make an informed choice, to the ethical value of the goods and to respect international law is valid. Israel fears that in this way its products will be boycotted, which is what many NGOs have long been seeking.