Worthy Christian News > Israel-Palestinian Conflict > Deadly Rockets Hit Israel, Messianic Believers Caught in the Crossfire

Deadly Rockets Hit Israel, Messianic Believers Caught in the Crossfire

by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Bedouin rioters targeted Israeli motorists with rocks and burning tires as Hamas militants fired rockets into Israel, killing two people, witnesses and officials said.

The confrontations came while Palestinians went on strike across Israel and viewed as occupied territories as Israeli missiles toppled a building in the Gaza Strip.

Israel’s airstrikes came as militants in the Hamas-ruled territory continued firing dozens of rockets that killed several people on Tuesday and previous days.

Amid the turmoil, Worthy News obtained footage of attacks faced by members of a Messianic congregation on their way to a hospitalized couple injured in a car accident.

They said they tried to avoid burning tires on the main road between Arad, where the congregation is based, and Soroka hospital in Beer Sheva. It was overtaken by Bedouins throwing rocks at passing cars.

There were also burning tires and pulled-down light poles to prevent traffic from coming through, according to footage and eyewitnesses.

Arad was briefly isolated from the rest of Israel before reopening again, as the area came under sustained rocket fire, said residents who asked for prayers.

The ongoing violence came as moves toward a cease-fire appeared to be gaining more traction.

U.S. officials said the administration of President Joe Biden was privately urging Israel to wind down its bombardment of Gaza.

Egyptian negotiators also were working to halt the fighting. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear, however, that Hamas militants will “pay a heavy price” for thousands of rockets fired into Israel that even hit areas of the economic capital Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Israeli media also quoted senior intelligence officials saying that the Gaza Strip may be completely cut off from electricity, but that did not appear the case Tuesday. (With additional reporting by Worthy News Director George Whitten).