Hamas co-founder Mahmoud al-Zahar justified rocket attacks on civilians, spending money on military installations and insisted that peace talks with Israel are irrelevant.
One of the main reasons behind the recent violence is the possible eviction of Palestinian tenants and squatters from the Jewish-owned Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem.
The high-tech 'Iron Dome' is a short-range air-defence system designed to intercept rockets, artillery, and mortars. The surface-to-air missile system has been deployed by Israel Defence Forces since 2011 and has helped reduce casualties from rocket attacks against Israeli cities.
Al-Aqsa, Islam's third-holiest site which is also revered by Jews as the location of two biblical-era temples was packed with Muslims to offer prayers on the last Friday of Ramadan.