As it launches a volley of rockets towards Israel, Islamic Jihad targets Jerusalem for the first time in the current battle.

Palestinian militants launched rockets towards Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank on Friday, an escalation of violence in the region that has led to the deaths of at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza and one person in Israel. The al Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad called the operation “Revenge of the Free” and explosions were heard in Jerusalem as a new wave of rockets was launched from Gaza towards Israel. Talks to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Islamic Jihad in Gaza are “on ice right now,” a diplomatic source familiar with the negotiations told CNN Friday. Rockets have not previously been fired towards Jerusalem in the current hostilities, which began earlier this week. Israeli air defenses intercepted approximately eight to 10 incoming rockets from Gaza on Friday, and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced at about the same time that IDF fighter jets struck four military posts belonging to Islamic Jihad. The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) began airstrikes on Tuesday against Islamic Jihad operatives and infrastructure along the Gaza Strip. At least three Palestinian deaths were announced on Friday, including a Palestinian man who died of his injuries in Gaza on Friday. The IDF believed among the 30 Palestinians killed, 16 were “combatants,” and 14 were “uninvolved.” The IDF said that four of those killed were killed by Islamic Jihad rockets falling short and landing in Gaza, which the militants rejected as a lie. 973 rockets have been launched towards Israel in the past three days, with 761 crossing into Israel and 212 falling short in Gaza or landed in the Mediterranean sea. Israel’s Iron Dome air defenses intercepted 296 rockets, the IDF said.