The United States has urged its citizens staying in Gaza to leave the coastal enclave “as soon as possible” over the Israeli bombardments of the area.
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The State Department updated its warning for USA citizens on travel to the Gaza Strip and urged those in the coastal strip now “to depart as soon as possible when border crossings are open”.
The foreign minister’s comment comes a day after Turkey and Israel traded jabs over dozens of Israeli air and artillery strikes in the Gaza Strip overnight Monday. It had issued a similar warning in December 2015.
“Israel will continue to defend its civilians from all rocket fire on our territory, in accordance with worldwide law and our conscience”, said Emanuel Nahshon, the Foreign Ministry spokesman.
The last round of fighting between Israel and Hamas took place in the summer of 2014, claiming the lives of more than 2,200 Palestinians and over 70 Israelis.
“We will continue to protect innocent Israeli citizens from the firing of rockets into our territory according to global law and in accordance with our responsibility and conscience”, the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s response read.
The State Department advised US citizens to avoid Gaza and limit travel in the West Bank after a Palestinian rocket attack led to Israeli bombings in Gaza.
The U.S. State Department said that Americans in Gaza should enter into Israeli or Egyptian territory when they could due to the security threat to its citizens.
The Arab League Tuesday condemned the recent Israeli army’s shelling of different locations in the Gaza Strip and damaging Palestinians property.
“On the contrary. We will continue to defend the Palestinian issue to the actions of Israel, that contravene global law and human conscience before everything”, it continued.
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“That would represent a deeply concerning step of settlement expansion on land that is at least partially owned by Palestinians”, department spokesman Mark Toner said at a press briefing. “And we’ve said repeatedly such moves are not consistent with Israel’s stated desire to achieve a two-state solution”, Toner added.
