The UN Security Council is set to convene on Monday, August 8, for an extraordinary session regarding the escalation of tensions in the Gaza Strip, a source in the Security Council told TASS, Trend reports.
"The UN Security Council will gather to discuss the ongoing situation in the Gaza Strip on Monday," the source said adding that an initiative to put the issue on the agenda was proposed on behalf of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, France, Ireland and Norway.
The Israeli army’s press service reported on Friday that it had launched an offensive on targets of the Islamic Jihad group in the Gaza Strip as part of its operation codenamed Breaking Dawn.
According to Israeli army’s estimates, about 15 radicals, including a group’s commander in northern Gaza, were killed in the first series of strikes. During the second stage of strikes, Israel’s special operations forces and artillery hit Islamic Jihad’s six military targets and their rocket launcher in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed an order on August 5 to conscript up to 25,000 troops from the reserve for "operational purposes." Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Aviv Kochavi ordered to put the troops on emergency alert and open the main command post amid the situation around the Gaza Strip, the army’s press service added.