JERUSALEM

Israel’s Foreign Ministry’s Arabic-language Twitter account posted a picture that showed the bombing of the Gaza Strip and cited Quranic verses from the Elephant chapter on Monday.

The chapter tells the story of tyrant ruler, Abraha of Yemen, who led his army of elephants in an attempt to destroy the Kaaba in Mecca and the end he encountered.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Arabic-language Twitter account and Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee usually use Quranic verses in posts.

Israeli media, observers say, usually use the verses to get the attention of Muslims and justify its attacks on Palestinians.

At least 217 Palestinians have been killed, including 63 children and 36 women, and 1,500 others injured in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since May 10, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

Also, 12 Israelis have also been killed in rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israel.

Recent tensions that started in East Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan spread to Gaza as a result of Israeli assaults on worshippers in the flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It annexed the entire city in 1980 in a move never recognized by the international community.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara