TEL AVIV – Israel has declared a state of emergency in the central city of Lod after rioting by Israeli Arabs, as conflict between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants intensified.
Cars were set alight and a father and daughter – both Israeli Arabs – died when a rocket hit their car.
Palestinian militants fired hundreds of rockets deep into Israel, while Israel carried out heavy air strikes on Gaza.
At least 40 people have died in some of the worst violence in years.
Protests by Israeli Arabs broke out in Lod, a city near Tel Aviv, and escalated to full-scale rioting, with protesters throwing rocks at police, who responded with stun grenades.
The protests followed the funeral of an Israeli Arab man who died during unrest in the city a day earlier.
At least 12 people were injured in the clashes, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported. As night fell, the situation degenerated in Lod, police said.
On Wednesday morning, a 52-year-old father and his 16-year-old daughter were killed when a rocket hit their car, also seriously injuring the mother, according to the Times of Israel.
Israeli media reported that synagogues and several businesses had been set on fire, while Reuters news agency said there were reports of Jews stoning a car that was being driven by an Arab resident.
On Tuesday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared a state of emergency in Lod. Israeli border police have been brought in from the West Bank.
The Times of Israel said this was the first time the government had used emergency powers over an Arab community since 1966.
The conflict between the Israeli military and Palestinian militants in Gaza has stirred unrest among the Arab minority inside Israel, leading to protests.
There has also been unrest in other cities with a large Israeli Arab population, as well as in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. (BBC)
