Israel strikes Gaza after exchange of air strikes Sunday
An Israeli air strike against Palestinian militants wounded eight bystanders and prompted Palestinian retaliation Sunday. Israel struck targets in the Gaza Strip Monday.
A wounded Palestinian boy speaks on the phone with his family following an Israeli air strike in Rafah camp in the southern Gaza Strip October 7. A missile fired by an Israeli aircraft hit and wounded two Palestinian militants and eight bystanders in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian hospital officials said.
Ahmed Zakot/Reuters
Gaza
聽said it struck targets in the聽聽on Monday after Palestinian militants fired rockets at聽, in what they said was a response to an聽聽air strike on Sunday that wounded two militants and eight bystanders.
Sunday's Israeli air strike was aimed at two Palestinian militants, one of whom was critically wounded. The armed wing of聽, the Islamists who control the聽, said it joined in Monday's rocket attack along with the聽听驳谤辞耻辫.
聽has been under the control of聽聽since 2007. The Islamist group rejects permanent peace with聽and the two sides fought a three-week war in December-January 2008-2009. The border is tense, with frequent clashes.
罢丑别听聽says over 470 rockets have been fired from聽聽this year, but it was the first time since June that聽had acknowledged launching rockets at聽. A聽聽spokesman said the movement would not remain passive in the face of what it called "one-sided" Israeli violence.
罢丑别听聽said it had targeted "聽terror activity sites and terrorist squads responsible for the rocket fire", but gave no details. Israeli forces say they will not tolerate such attacks and will hold聽聽responsible for them.
聽hospital officials said one聽聽militant thought to have been involved in the rocket attack had been wounded by Israeli tank fire east of the town of聽.
Residents of Khan Younis in southern聽聽said an Israeli tank fired at the suspected launch area, slightly wounding four children and damaging a minaret and a water tower.
, spokesman of the聽聽armed wing Izz El-Deen聽, said the rocket firing was a message to聽聽that it would not accept "a formula of a one-sided aggression by the occupation on flimsy pretexts".
With Egyptian mediation,聽聽has made efforts in the past to clamp down on smaller militant groups that persist in launching attacks on聽, partly in order to avoid another devastating war. A three-week Israeli offensive killed over 1,000 Palestinians in the winter of 2008-2009.
But on Monday聽听蝉补颈诲听聽had displayed a "high level of coordination" with聽聽in launching the latest rocket barrage.
"Should the enemy continue its aggression against the聽聽Strip the reaction by the resistance will be stronger and broader," he said.
The homemade weapons fired from聽聽are inaccurate, but potentially lethal. An Israeli spokeswoman said some exploded harmlessly on Monday near the border with the聽. But one kibbutz resident said children could have been killed.
"It was a very powerful barrage,"聽聽of Kibbutz Nir Yitzhak near the聽聽border told聽聽radio. "The goat pen in the (children's) petting corner was severely hit and a vet is treating the animals still alive and dealing with those that aren't."