Middle East Conflict
Israel strikes targets in the Gaza Strip after rocket attack
Smoke billows after an airstrike in western Gaza. photo
© Fatima Shbair/AP/dpa
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fire rockets at Israel. The Israeli Air Force reacted promptly, attacking Hamas targets. The situation is extremely tense.
After a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Air Force fired on several targets in the Palestinian Territory. Among them are a weapons factory and a military site of the radical Islamic Hamas, the army said.
According to reports from the Gaza Strip, no one was injured. Columns of smoke rose from the two military posts. Several houses in the vicinity were slightly damaged.
A few hours earlier, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired six rockets at Israel. Five rockets were intercepted and one rocket fell into an open area, the Israeli army said. Initially, no Palestinian group officially claimed responsibility for the attack.
A Hamas spokesman said the armed resistance groups in the Gaza Strip are the “shield and sword” of the Palestinian people. “Your patience is at an end.”
At least 11 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli military operation in Nablus in the West Bank on Wednesday. In addition, more than 100 people were injured, according to the Ministry of Health in Ramallah. A 72-year-old and a 16-year-old were among the dead. The Israeli military announced that the forces came under heavy fire during the attempted arrest of three terrorist suspects. This was answered with shots. A general strike was called in the West Bank on Thursday.
The security situation in Israel and the Palestinian territories has long been extremely tense. Since the beginning of the year, nine Israelis and one Ukrainian have been killed in attacks by Palestinians. In the same period, 61 Palestinians lost their lives – they were shot in confrontations with the Israeli army or after their own attacks.