Israeli war jets strike on Gaza in response to rocket firing, no injuries

GAZA—Israeli war jets waged early on Thursday two airstrikes on militants’ facilities in the Gaza Strip, that Islamic Hamas movement rules, in response to an overnight rocket attack, no injuries reported.

Palestinian security and medical sources said the war jets struck a militants’ facility in eastern Gaza and another target that belongs to Hamas police in central Gaza Strip, adding that severe destruction was caused, but no injuries reported.

Overnight, the Israeli media reported that unknown militants fired a makeshift rocket from the coastal enclave, which has been under a tight Israeli blockade since 2007, into Israel. The rocket landed on southern Israel, no injuries reported.

The Israeli media said militants belong to Salafist groups, close to ISIS, were most probably behind firing the rocket from Gaza into Israel. However, the Israeli army held Hamas rulers of Gaza responsible.

Gaza Health Ministry Spokesman Ashraf al-Qedra told reporters in a short text message that no injuries were reported.

An Israeli army spokesman said in an official press statement that Israeli air forces struck two posts that belong to Hamas militants in response to a rocket fired from Gaza into southern Israel.

The spokesman said no damages or injuries were reported after the rocket landed on an open area in southern Israel.

In February, a military spokesman for Hamas warned Israel that Hamas militants would fire back to any Israeli military escalation on the Gaza Strip. Hamas’ warning came one day after Israeli war jets struck its facilities in response to a rocket firing.

In 2014, Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel ending around two months of fighting between the two sides. The Israeli large-scale offensive killed 2,200 Palestinians and wounded around 11,000 others.