The Guardian (USA)

Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza

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Israel says its military struck Hamas targets in Gaza in response to a rocket attack launched from the Palestinia­n enclave.

The Israeli air force struck two rocket ammunition manufactur­ing sites, a military compound and “undergroun­d infrastruc­tures”, the Israel Defence Forces said on Sunday.

A rocket was fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, according to the army, shortly after warning sirens sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon.

The army statement gave no further details, but emergency services said they had no notificati­on of anyone wounded and Israeli media said the projectile fell on open ground.

The latest reported fire from the Hamas-ruled Palestinia­n enclave came after two rockets were fired from the coastal strip into neighbouri­ng Israel in the early hours of last Sunday.

There were no casualties or damage in that attack. Israel struck back with fighter planes, helicopter­s and tanks, hitting what the army said were Hamas targets.

There was no claim of responsibi­lity for the 15 November rocket fire, but Israel routinely holds Islamist group Hamas responsibl­e for all attacks originatin­g from its territory.

In August, Hamas announced they had reached a Qatari-mediated deal with Israel to end more weeks of crossborde­r exchanges of fire.

Hamas, considered a terrorist group by Israel, seized control of Gaza from the rival Palestinia­n movement Fatah in 2007. Since then Hamas has fought three devastatin­g wars with Israel in the coastal territory where about two million Palestinia­ns live.

Israel has since maintained a crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip, to isolate Hamas.

 ?? Photograph: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images ?? Flames are seen following an Israeli air strike in the town of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, early on 22 November.
Photograph: Said Khatib/AFP/Getty Images Flames are seen following an Israeli air strike in the town of Khan Yunis, in the southern Gaza Strip, early on 22 November.

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