Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes on military positions in the Gaza Strip yesterday night in response to the earlier firing of projectiles from the Hamas-ruled enclave into southern Israel, eyewitnesses and security sources said.
The Palestinian sources said the Israeli planes had hovered over Gaza, and then several blasts were heard in northern Gaza City after Israeli air-to-ground missiles hit a military post belonging to Hamas fighters.
Medical and firefighting teams in Gaza were on alert and rushed to the targeted posts; no injuries were reported, but severe damage was caused to the military posts and facilities bombarded by the strikes.
The strikes in Gaza came hours after the Israeli army said four projectiles were fired by Palestinian fighters in Gaza towards southern Israel.
Two of the projectiles were intercepted mid-air by Israel’s Iron Dome aerial defence system, the army added.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services said there were no injuries.
There were no claims of responsibility for the projectiles in Gaza.
Relations between Israel and the Hamas movement that rules Gaza have been relatively peaceful recently. Israeli media reported in December that Israel was considering a long-term informal ceasefire with Hamas; in return, Hamas would try harder to stop Palestinian fighter factions active in the coastal enclave from firing rockets into Israel and dampen border protests.
In November, tensions flared following Israel’s killing of a top leader from the Islamic Jihad group, setting off a back-and-forth of rocket attacks and air force strikes.
Related Story