May 12, 2021 – 11:00 AM

The situation in Israel is dynamic. Please visit the Times of Israel live blog for updated information.

May 11, 2021 – 1:30 PM

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC), Minneapolis Jewish Federation, and St. Paul Jewish Federation released the following joint statement:

We stand in solidarity with the people of Israel who are under attack by Hamas, an Iranian-backed genocidal terrorist enemy.

The all-too-familiar escalation of violence in Israel and Gaza is deeply upsetting and we mourn the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilians in recent days. Hundreds of Hamas rockets from Gaza, aimed at Israeli cities and meant to terrorize civilians, are the cause of the current crisis.

To date, Hamas rockets killed three Israelis and injured dozens more, sending millions to take cover in bomb shelters. By purposefully launching these rockets from civilian population centers in Gaza, Hamas is responsible for both Israeli and Palestinian civilian deaths.

For many in our Jewish community, the trauma Hamas is inflicting on Israel is deeply personal. Hamas is targeting our parents and grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, and dear friends. The brave members of the IDF are our family, especially those Lone Soldiers from the Twin Cities. We hold all of them, all of Israel, closely in our hearts.

We appreciate the White House’s condemnation of Hamas rocket fire and call on American leadership to continue their active engagement with Israeli and regional partners to calm tensions and ensure that Hamas is deterred from initiating future violence.

Finally, we recognize that images of violence in Jerusalem, especially during Yom Yerushalayim and Ramadan, are painful to Jews and Muslims. We pray for days when our holiest sites are known only for the peace that dwells in their midst.

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Photo: A medic carries a wounded child from an apartment building in Ashkelon hit by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on May 11, 2021 (Flash90 via Times of Israel)