Jerusalem (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Israeli warplanes struck targets in the southern Gaza Strip hours after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit the Jewish state, the first Israeli military action in the Palestinian territory since a ceasefire agreement was agreed last August ending 50 days of bloody conflict.
Residents of the Khan Yunis area in Gaza reported hearing two explosions. A spokesman for Gaza's Health Ministry said there were no casualties in the attack. An Israel Defence Force (IDF) spokesman said the aircraft on Saturday targeted "Hamas terror infrastructure".
The truce ended seven weeks of fighting in which 2,200 people, mostly Palestinians, were killed last summer. On 26 August, Hamas and Israel reached a fragile truce, brokered by Egypt.
Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said in a statement that the "Hamas terrorist organisation is responsible and accountable for today's attack against Israel."
Yesterday, a rocket fired from Gaza hit an open field in Eshkol, southern Israel, causing no casualties or damage.
The Islamist militant movement, which has de facto rule over Gaza, did not assume responsibility for the attack, the third such incident since the end of the fighting between the sides nearly four months ago.
In a separate incident on Friday, four Palestinian protesters were shot in the legs by Israeli troops after they ignored warnings to keep away from the border fence between the coastal territory and the Jewish state.