GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Israeli planes hit dozens of militant sites in the Gaza Strip on Saturday as activists fired about 30 rockets at Israel's largest firefight between fierce enemies for several days. weeks.

The fighting came after a bloody day of demonstrations at the border, during which Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians demonstrating along the separating fence between Gaza and Israel, dominated by Hamas. The sudden outbreak of fighting and bloodshed complicated the Egyptian mediators' mission, which intensified their shuttle diplomacy in order to restore calm and prevent a major conflict between the militant group Hamas and Israel.

The Israeli army said it had hit some 80 sites across Gaza early Saturday morning, including a security headquarters building. The sirens of the air raid sounded all night in southern Israel, and militants fired about thirty rockets, the army said.

About 10 rockets were intercepted by its Iron Dome rocket defense system, two landed prematurely in Gaza and the remainder fell into open areas. Israeli army chief General Gadi Eisenkot has convened an emergency meeting of senior security officials, the army said without giving further details.

There was no information on the injuries caused by rockets and air strikes.

Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group, implicitly claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. He issued a statement in which he asserted that he was normally restrained, but that he "can no longer remain inactive until the innocent massacre and the bloodshed perpetrated by him." Israeli occupation ".

It was not immediately clear whether Islamic Jihad, which sometimes acts independently of Hamas, had coordinated the rocket fire with Hamas. But Israel holds Hamas, which took control of Gaza in 2007, responsible for all fires emanating from the territory.

The parties have waged three wars over the past decade and Israel and Egypt have maintained a stifling blockade on the territory to weaken Hamas. Weekly demonstrations organized by Hamas along the Israeli border were largely aimed at lifting the blockade, which devastated Gaza's economy.

On Friday, thousands of Palestinians gathered at five locations along the border, burning tires and throwing stones, grenades and incendiary bombs at Israeli troops who responded with tear gas and live fire.

The Israeli army said some suspects had briefly crossed the barrier.

Three of the dead were reported in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health. Witnesses said dozens of protesters approached the fence.

In northern Gaza, a 27-year-old man died after being shot in the head, the ministry said. He added that 170 other demonstrators had been injured.

Hamas, an Islamist militant group that vowed to destroy Israel, had previously scaled down demonstrations as Egypt stepped up efforts to restore calm.

On Wednesday, Egyptian intelligence officials met with representatives of Palestinian factions in Gaza. Loay Qarouti, general command of the Palestine Liberation Front, said the mediators had asked them "to protect the lives of the protesters and minimize the losses among them".

Egypt wants to restore calm to pursue the broader goal of Palestinian reconciliation between Hamas and the administration of President Mahmoud Abbas based in the West Bank. Abbas, internationally recognized, lost control of Gaza during the takeover in 2007.

But Hamas maintains that it wants the complete lifting of the paralyzing blockade imposed on Gaza by Israel and Egypt in order to isolate the Islamic movement.

The blockade has made the governance of Hamas increasingly difficult. The widespread desperation among the 2 million Gazans – who only have a few hours of electricity per day and unsafe water, besides suffering from an unemployment rate high and limited freedom of movement – fueling their participation in Hamas-led demonstrations.

Since the beginning of the protests six months ago, at least 160 Palestinians present or taking part in the demonstrations have been killed. A militant from Gaza shot and killed an Israeli soldier in July.

Israel accuses Hamas of using major demonstrations as a cover for organizing attacks and border infiltrations. He says he is defending his border and accuses Hamas of exploiting the young protesters and encouraging them to risk their lives to increase pressure to lift the blockade.

Israel has been strongly criticized by the international community for what many consider as excessive use of force and the large number of unarmed people who have been shot dead.

In the West Bank, a 33-year-old Palestinian was killed and nine others wounded by live ammunition, one under critical conditions, as Israeli forces clashed with rock throwers in a village near the city of Ramallah, have announced doctors.