Israeli soldiers stand near a battery of Israel's Iron Dome defence missile system, designed to intercept and destroy incoming short-range rockets and artillery shells, deployed in Ashkelon in southern Israel on August 6, 2022. - Israel on August 6 hit Gaza with air strikes and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group retaliated with a barrage of rocket fire, in the territory's worst escalation of violence since a war last year. Israel has said it was forced to launch a "pre-emptive" operation against Islamic Jihad, insisting the group was planning an imminent attack following days of tensions along the Gaza border. (Photo by Jack Guez / AFP)