Violence breaks out as Israel strikes Gaza, Hamas fires rockets

JERUSALEM – The Israeli army on Saturday hit several militant sites in Gaza in response to further violence along the border, after which Hamas militants fired more than 30 rockets and mortars against Israel.

on the other hand, but the exchange threatened to provoke a new conflagration after weeks of tension along the unstable border.

According to the army, his jets were aimed at two Hamas tunnels as well as other military buildings, including those involved in the fires. attacks. Even as the air strikes were carried out, the army declared that the rockets had begun to be fired at Israel. He said six of them had been intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system. No injuries or damage were reported, but warning sirens blew in border communities for much of the night.

In a relatively uncommon admission, Hamas said it was firing rockets to deter Israel from intervening. Most of Gaza's recent rockets have been fired by smaller factions. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said it was an "immediate response" intended to "deliver the message".

Israel warned Hamas in recent weeks that it had no interest in engaging in the kind of conflict that led to it not tolerating the continued efforts of Gaza militants to cross the border and its campaign to devastate Israeli border communities with incendiary attacks.

On Friday, thousands of Palestinians gathered near the Gaza border for their release. almost weekly protest. A 15-year-old Palestinian who tried to cross the fence in Israel was shot dead. Later, the Israeli army said that an Israeli officer had been slightly injured by a grenade thrown against him.

The Islamist Hamas group that runs the Gaza Strip led demonstrations to draw attention to the Israeli-Egyptian blockade imposed on Hamas. Gaza in 2007.

The demonstrations were fueled in large part by the widespread desperation caused by the blockade, which caused widespread economic hardship.

More than 130 Palestinians, mostly unarmed, have been killed by Israeli gunfire since the protests began. March 30th.

Israel says it is defending its sovereign frontier and accuses Hamas of using the demonstrations as a cover to try to cross the border fence and attack civilians and soldiers.

In a statement, the military said that Hamas' activities violate Israeli sovereignty, endanger Israeli civilians and sabotage Israel's humanitarian efforts to help civilians in Gaza. "