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Two Palestinians were killed by Israeli strikes and four Israelis were slightly injured after a rocket fired from Gaza hit their home on Saturday during the most serious and widespread shootout between Israel and fighters Palestinians in Gaza since the 2014 war.
The Israeli army struck more than 40 Hamas targets across the Strip in the last 24 hours and 90 rockets were fired from Gaza at Israel, 16 of which were intercepted by the Iron Missile Defense system Dome. More than 140 rocket alarm sirens rang in communities near the border between Israel and Gaza.
14 Palestinians were injured after the strikes, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Injured Israelis include a 50-year-old man with chest injuries, a 17-year-old woman with facial injuries, and a 20-year-old woman with injured limbs. The rescuers took the wounded to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held ongoing discussions with Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman, IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, and senior security officials. "It was decided to take harsh measures against the aggression of Gaza, Israel will increase its strength as much as the need. Our badumption of Hamas has been the worst blow since the Operation Protective Edge," said an Israeli official.
The army is ready "for the possibility that these events extend beyond the borders of Gaza," said a senior officer of the Israeli Air Force.
According to the officer, "the air force has the largest deployment, both on the defensive and the offensive, since Operation Protective Edge in 2014", did he says. "Since last night, more than 90 rockets have been launched on Israel, and more than 20 have been successfully intercepted by the air force," he added.
A Hamas spokesman said Saturday that "the escalation and intensification of the Israeli aggression will not dictate a new agenda," adding that it would not stop the procession back, the resistance forces would not let Israel continue to attack the Palestinian people. we will also be ready to answer. "
Mediation efforts to bring calm to the south are underway. The army said the mediators were acting on the badumption that Israel would accept an agreement that would be reached.
Eliyahu Hershkowitz
The Israeli government will meet Sunday to discuss climbing in the south. A Palestinian official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity said that Egypt and other international actors had contacts with Israel and Gaza to restore calm. There was no immediate comment from officials in Cairo.
The IDF reported that it carried out an air strike against a skyscraper in the Shati refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, which served as a training center for Hamas fighters.
Israel targeted about 40 Hamas targets in Saturday's strikes, including two attack tunnels, logistical centers and the Beit Lahia battalion headquarters of the organization. The army said it struck the tunnels in response to an IDF officer who was lightly wounded on Friday after protesters threw a grenade into the northern Gaza Strip.
Six of the 31 rockets launched during the night were intercepted by the missile defense system; one exploded near an Israeli border community. The IDF spokesman's unit reported that 60 rockets had been fired at Israel since 6am. On Saturday, 10 of them were intercepted by the Iron Dome.
The army sent messages to Hamas through an intermediary last week saying that it will lead a harsh military response against incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza. The army also said last week that an Israeli plane had fired a missile at a cell that had launched incendiary balloons from northern Gaza.
>> The Israeli Army warns Hamas against a severe military response if incendiary kites and balloons continue to arrive in Israel
On Saturday, a 20-year-old Palestinian died of his injuries in border clashes on Friday, bringing the number of deaths to two after the last round of protests, Gaza's health ministry reported.
Meanwhile, footage of the 15-year-old Palestinian who was killed by an Israeli army shooting on Friday appeared, showing him trying to climb the fence and get shot. Both deaths carry the total balance since the beginning of the "March of Return" at 139.
Reuters contributed to this report
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