Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, in a first response to Israeli airstrikes that have killed 16 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.
The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as the area of Tel Aviv, on the Mediterranean Sea, 50 miles away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early Tuesday.
Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv.
In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week. The parade, meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City’s Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinian residents.
As air raid sirens continued to wail, the army said at least 60 rockets had been fired in less than an hour from Gaza. There were no immediate reports of injuries, though local officials said an empty home in the southern town of Sderot was struck.
Earlier Wednesday, Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least one Palestinian and pushing the region closer toward a new round of heavy fighting.
Tuesday’s strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians — most of them women and children. Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities.
The Israeli military said its attacks were focused on Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave.
The army said one airstrike targeted militants traveling to a rocket launcher site in southern Gaza Strip. Later, the army said warplanes struck suspected rocket and mortar launching sites.
Medics said the first strike killed one man and seriously wounded another. Palestinian officials could not confirm whether the men were militants.
It also remained unclear whether two Palestinians killed in a separate airstrike late Tuesday were militants or civilians. Israel has claimed the men were preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.
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The Israeli military had instructed residents of southern Israel to remain near bomb shelters, and schools were still closed for a second day as a precaution against rocket attacks.
Israel says the airstrikes are a response to a barrage of rocket fire launched last week by Islamic Jihad in response to the death of one of its members from a hunger strike while in Israeli custody.
Israel says it is trying to avoid conflict with Hamas, the more powerful militant group that rules Gaza, and confine the fighting to Islamic Jihad.
“Our actions are meant to prevent further escalation,” said Rear Adm. Danny Hagari, the Israeli military’s chief spokesman. “Israel is not interested in war.”
Hamas has expressed solidarity with its smaller counterpart in Gaza, and the two groups often coordinate with one another.
If the violence continues, the risk of a full-blown war could increase. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since the Islamic group, which opposes Israel’s existence, took control of Gaza in 2007.
Israel has come under international criticism for the high civilian toll on Tuesday, which included wives of two of the militant commanders, some of their children and a dentist who lived in one of the targeted buildings.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
