12 mar 2014
Israeli air forces launched air strikes across the Gaza Strip late Wednesday, with no immediate reports of injuries.
The Israeli air strikes came after Islamic Jihad said that it launched 130 rockets into southern Israel in response to Israel's killing of three of its members on Tuesday.
Israeli air strikes hit a number of military targets across the besieged coastal enclave, as well as a number of open areas.
Strikes hit a site belonging the military wing of Islamic Jihad in Rafah as well as an open area in the southern Gaza Strip.
The empty land that was hit by the air strike was in al-Nasser neighborhood, while it was not clear where in Rafah the military site belonging to the al-Quds Brigades was.
Three rockets were also fired at the Huttein military site belonging to the al-Quds Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, and no injuries were reported in that strike.
The Israeli air forces also launched a strike on al-Quds Brigades in al-Qara neighborhood in Khan Younis, and another site belonging to the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing on Hamas, west of Rafah.
Israeli air forces also launched four air strikes against a site belonging to the al-Qassam Brigades site Areen-2 west of Rafah.
Earlier, Israeli air forces bombed a target north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Local sources said an Israeli drone fired a rocket at an empty land near a residential area in the northern Gaza Strip neighborhood.
No injuries were reported in any of the strikes.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
'Breaking the Silence'
The al-Quds Brigades, the group's armed wing, claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks earlier in the day, which it named "Breaking the Silence."
A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades said that the group was not breaking the truce between Israel and Hamas, but was merely "responding" to Israeli killings of seven Palestinians in the last two days, including three in Gaza on Tuesday.
Three other Palestinian militant groups also claimed to have participated in the attacks on Israel, including the National Resistance Brigades, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
Spokesman for the Gaza Strip government Ihab al-Ghussein said that Israel is "responsible for any escalation," warning of the "consequences of any escalation" and reiterating that "resistance is the right of the Palestinian people to defend itself."
Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip government and maintains a fragile ceasefire with Israel, but other groups occasionally launch attacks.
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire in the last year by launching attacks into the Strip and opening fire on civilians near the border, and militant groups often respond with rocket fire, which mostly falls in open areas.
Israel has also maintained a severe economic blockade on the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million residents since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
The escalation came just hours after British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived on his first official visit to the region since taking over as premier in 2010.
It was the heaviest barrage of cross-border rocket fire since a major eight-day confrontation in November 2012 between Israel and militants from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement.
An Israeli security source told AFP that militants had fired more than 50 rockets "in close succession," targeting areas all over the south.
Police said the rocket fire fell in several waves along the length of Israel's border with Gaza and that one struck near a public library in the town of Sderot, while another hit near a petrol station in another area.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
We will respond 'with great force'
The attack began shortly after Netanyahu and Cameron addressed the parliament, and prompted a stern warning from the Israeli leader who pledged to act "with great force" against those seeking to harm Israel, a statement from his office said.
"We will continue to strike those who want to harm us, we'll act against them very forcefully," he was quoted as saying in a separate statement communicated by his spokesman Ofir Gendelman.
"This is the biggest attack on Israel since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense," the military said on its Twitter feed, referring to the 2012 confrontation which claimed the lives of 177 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and six Israelis.
Speaking to Israel's private Channel 2 television, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would have no choice but to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew all troops and settlers in summer 2005.
"Following an attack like this -- a barrage of more than 50 rockets -- there is no alternative to a full reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip," he said.
A day earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
The three resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
The al-Quds Brigades said at the time that the militants were affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.
The airstrikes came after Israeli forces killed three Palestinian civilians in separate incidents across the West Bank on Monday, leading to widespread anger.
Army Bombards Various Areas In Gaza
The Israeli army fired several shells into a number of areas in the Gaza Strip, causing power blackouts in certain areas and property damage but no injuries.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that the army fired surface-to-surface missiles, and heavy artillery, targeting open areas in the coastal region.
WAFA added that, late on Wednesday at night, Israeli war jets fired two missiles into an area west of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, while a military helicopter fired missiles at a number of targets in northern Gaza.
Local sources said that the first strike targeted an area in Beit Lahia, and that a second strike targeted Deir al-Balah, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Later on, Israeli war jets fired missiles into various areas in Khan Younis and Rafah, in southern Gaza, Deir al-Balah and Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza.
The attack against Rafah led to a complete power blackout in the entire district in addition to damage to several homes.
Medical sources said several Palestinians, mainly children, suffered anxiety attacks.
On Wednesday at night, Israel decided to close all border terminals leading to the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon decided to cancel all family visits to Gaza Strip detainees.
Israeli alleged Palestinian fighters fired four shells in the Western Negev, on Thursday morning, and that more than 60 homemade shells were fired from Gaza since Wednesday.
It is worth mentioning that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened what he described as a “fierce response to the shells fired from Gaza into adjacent Israeli areas”, Israeli sources said.
On Tuesday, an Israeli missiles killed three fighters of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, east of Rafah.
Ashraf al-Qodra, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that the slain fighters have been identified as Ismael Abu Jouda, 23, Shaher Abu Shanab, 24, and Abdul-Shafy Moammar, 33.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a young Palestinian man from Atteel village, northwest of Tulkarem, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
Medical sources said that Fida’ Mohyeeddeen Majadla, age 23, was killed after Israeli soldiers opened fire on his car at the al-Kafriyyat roadblock, south of Tulkarem.
On Monday evening, resident Saje Darwish, 18, was shot and killed by army fire as he was heading to the family barn, close to the Givat Asaf illegal Israeli settlement, built on lands belonging to residents of Beiteen village, north of Ramallah.
Also on Monday, Israeli forces, stationed at the Allenby Border Terminal with Jordan, shot and killed a Palestinian Judge who works in Jordan.
The slain Palestinian, who also hold a Jordanian citizenship, has been identified as Raed Ala’ Ed-Deen Z'eitar, age 38, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
30 Israeli air raids on Gaza cause vast destruction
The Israeli air force launched 30 raids on various areas of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night causing vast material damage. Israeli military sources said that the raids targeted 30 positions for different Palestinian resistance factions especially those affiliated with Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad movement.
The armed wing retaliated by firing more than 130 rockets at Israeli targets.
The Israeli army closed the Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing and the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing for passengers in response to the security deterioration.
The PIC reporter said that Israeli warplanes launched intensified raids on northern, central, and southern Gaza Strip areas causing material damage but no casualties were reported. He added that most of the raids targeted training positions for the Quds Brigades.
The Israeli air strikes came after Islamic Jihad said that it launched 130 rockets into southern Israel in response to Israel's killing of three of its members on Tuesday.
Israeli air strikes hit a number of military targets across the besieged coastal enclave, as well as a number of open areas.
Strikes hit a site belonging the military wing of Islamic Jihad in Rafah as well as an open area in the southern Gaza Strip.
The empty land that was hit by the air strike was in al-Nasser neighborhood, while it was not clear where in Rafah the military site belonging to the al-Quds Brigades was.
Three rockets were also fired at the Huttein military site belonging to the al-Quds Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip, and no injuries were reported in that strike.
The Israeli air forces also launched a strike on al-Quds Brigades in al-Qara neighborhood in Khan Younis, and another site belonging to the al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing on Hamas, west of Rafah.
Israeli air forces also launched four air strikes against a site belonging to the al-Qassam Brigades site Areen-2 west of Rafah.
Earlier, Israeli air forces bombed a target north of Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip.
Local sources said an Israeli drone fired a rocket at an empty land near a residential area in the northern Gaza Strip neighborhood.
No injuries were reported in any of the strikes.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
'Breaking the Silence'
The al-Quds Brigades, the group's armed wing, claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks earlier in the day, which it named "Breaking the Silence."
A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades said that the group was not breaking the truce between Israel and Hamas, but was merely "responding" to Israeli killings of seven Palestinians in the last two days, including three in Gaza on Tuesday.
Three other Palestinian militant groups also claimed to have participated in the attacks on Israel, including the National Resistance Brigades, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
Spokesman for the Gaza Strip government Ihab al-Ghussein said that Israel is "responsible for any escalation," warning of the "consequences of any escalation" and reiterating that "resistance is the right of the Palestinian people to defend itself."
Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip government and maintains a fragile ceasefire with Israel, but other groups occasionally launch attacks.
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire in the last year by launching attacks into the Strip and opening fire on civilians near the border, and militant groups often respond with rocket fire, which mostly falls in open areas.
Israel has also maintained a severe economic blockade on the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million residents since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
The escalation came just hours after British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived on his first official visit to the region since taking over as premier in 2010.
It was the heaviest barrage of cross-border rocket fire since a major eight-day confrontation in November 2012 between Israel and militants from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement.
An Israeli security source told AFP that militants had fired more than 50 rockets "in close succession," targeting areas all over the south.
Police said the rocket fire fell in several waves along the length of Israel's border with Gaza and that one struck near a public library in the town of Sderot, while another hit near a petrol station in another area.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
We will respond 'with great force'
The attack began shortly after Netanyahu and Cameron addressed the parliament, and prompted a stern warning from the Israeli leader who pledged to act "with great force" against those seeking to harm Israel, a statement from his office said.
"We will continue to strike those who want to harm us, we'll act against them very forcefully," he was quoted as saying in a separate statement communicated by his spokesman Ofir Gendelman.
"This is the biggest attack on Israel since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense," the military said on its Twitter feed, referring to the 2012 confrontation which claimed the lives of 177 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and six Israelis.
Speaking to Israel's private Channel 2 television, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would have no choice but to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew all troops and settlers in summer 2005.
"Following an attack like this -- a barrage of more than 50 rockets -- there is no alternative to a full reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip," he said.
A day earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
The three resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
The al-Quds Brigades said at the time that the militants were affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.
The airstrikes came after Israeli forces killed three Palestinian civilians in separate incidents across the West Bank on Monday, leading to widespread anger.
Army Bombards Various Areas In Gaza
The Israeli army fired several shells into a number of areas in the Gaza Strip, causing power blackouts in certain areas and property damage but no injuries.
The Palestinian News & Info Agency (WAFA) has reported that the army fired surface-to-surface missiles, and heavy artillery, targeting open areas in the coastal region.
WAFA added that, late on Wednesday at night, Israeli war jets fired two missiles into an area west of Rafah, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip, while a military helicopter fired missiles at a number of targets in northern Gaza.
Local sources said that the first strike targeted an area in Beit Lahia, and that a second strike targeted Deir al-Balah, in the northern part of the Gaza Strip.
Later on, Israeli war jets fired missiles into various areas in Khan Younis and Rafah, in southern Gaza, Deir al-Balah and Beit Hanoun, in northern Gaza.
The attack against Rafah led to a complete power blackout in the entire district in addition to damage to several homes.
Medical sources said several Palestinians, mainly children, suffered anxiety attacks.
On Wednesday at night, Israel decided to close all border terminals leading to the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon decided to cancel all family visits to Gaza Strip detainees.
Israeli alleged Palestinian fighters fired four shells in the Western Negev, on Thursday morning, and that more than 60 homemade shells were fired from Gaza since Wednesday.
It is worth mentioning that Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, threatened what he described as a “fierce response to the shells fired from Gaza into adjacent Israeli areas”, Israeli sources said.
On Tuesday, an Israeli missiles killed three fighters of the al-Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Islamic Jihad, east of Rafah.
Ashraf al-Qodra, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health in Gaza, said that the slain fighters have been identified as Ismael Abu Jouda, 23, Shaher Abu Shanab, 24, and Abdul-Shafy Moammar, 33.
Also on Tuesday, Israeli soldiers shot and killed a young Palestinian man from Atteel village, northwest of Tulkarem, in the northern part of the occupied West Bank.
Medical sources said that Fida’ Mohyeeddeen Majadla, age 23, was killed after Israeli soldiers opened fire on his car at the al-Kafriyyat roadblock, south of Tulkarem.
On Monday evening, resident Saje Darwish, 18, was shot and killed by army fire as he was heading to the family barn, close to the Givat Asaf illegal Israeli settlement, built on lands belonging to residents of Beiteen village, north of Ramallah.
Also on Monday, Israeli forces, stationed at the Allenby Border Terminal with Jordan, shot and killed a Palestinian Judge who works in Jordan.
The slain Palestinian, who also hold a Jordanian citizenship, has been identified as Raed Ala’ Ed-Deen Z'eitar, age 38, from the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
30 Israeli air raids on Gaza cause vast destruction
The Israeli air force launched 30 raids on various areas of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday night causing vast material damage. Israeli military sources said that the raids targeted 30 positions for different Palestinian resistance factions especially those affiliated with Quds Brigades, the armed wing of Islamic Jihad movement.
The armed wing retaliated by firing more than 130 rockets at Israeli targets.
The Israeli army closed the Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing and the Beit Hanun (Erez) crossing for passengers in response to the security deterioration.
The PIC reporter said that Israeli warplanes launched intensified raids on northern, central, and southern Gaza Strip areas causing material damage but no casualties were reported. He added that most of the raids targeted training positions for the Quds Brigades.
The site of a rocket strike in Sderot
Israel launched artillery strikes against the Gaza Strip as a barrage of rockets from the besieged coastal enclave hit southern Israel on Wednesday, with no reported injuries.
An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an that Israeli forces had launched "artillery fire" at two "terror locations in the northern and southern Gaza Strip" on Wednesday afternoon, in response to a volley of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad earlier said it had fired 130 rockets into Israel, in response to an Israeli airstrike the day before that killed three Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave.
The al-Quds Brigades, the group's armed wing, claimed responsibility for the operation, which it named "Breaking the Silence."
A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades said that the group was not breaking the truce between Israel and Hamas, but was merely "responding" to Israeli killings of seven Palestinians in the last two days, including three in Gaza on Tuesday.
"We are aware of the siege and division" between Palestinian political factions, spokesman Abu Ahmad told Ma'an, "but I don't think our silence to the attack won't ease the siege," he explained.
Three other Palestinian militant groups also claimed to have participated in the attacks on Israel, including the National Resistance Brigades, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed responsibility for launching four 107 rockets on Wednesday around 8:10 p.m.
The brigades said in a joint statement that the attacks were a response to the continuous Israeli attack on "our unarmed people."
The "Vertical Battalion" of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade also claimed responsibility, saying that they fired eight 107 rockets at Sderot and three at Nahal Oz.
'Palestinians have the right to protect themselves'
Spokesman for the Gaza Strip government Ihab al-Ghussein, meanwhile, said that Israel is "responsible for any escalation," warning of the "consequences of any escalation" and reiterating that "resistance is the right of the Palestinian people to defend itself."
Al-Ghussein said that Palestinian factions are "wise" and see the truce as a benefit for the Palestinian people, but that Israel is "violating" the truce.
Gaza Strip government spokeswoman Israa Modallal said in a statement: "As long as Israel continues to impose a blockade on the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians have the right to defend and to protect themselves."
Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip government and maintains a fragile ceasefire with Israel, but other groups occasionally launch attacks.
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire in the last year by launching attacks into the Strip and opening fire on civilians near the border, and militant groups often respond with rocket fire, which mostly falls in open areas.
Israel has also maintained a severe economic blockade on the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million residents since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
The escalation came just hours after British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived on his first official visit to the region since taking over as premier in 2010.
It was the heaviest barrage of cross-border rocket fire since a major eight-day confrontation in November 2012 between Israel and militants from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement.
An Israeli security source told AFP that militants had fired more than 50 rockets "in close succession," targeting areas all over the south.
The Israeli army put the number at "more than 30 rockets," saying eight of them had struck urban areas, and another three were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.
Police said the rocket fire fell in several waves along the length of Israel's border with Gaza and that one struck near a public library in the town of Sderot, while another hit near a petrol station in another area.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
We will respond 'with great force'
The attack began shortly after Netanyahu and Cameron addressed the parliament, and prompted a stern warning from the Israeli leader who pledged to act "with great force" against those seeking to harm Israel, a statement from his office said.
"We will continue to strike those who want to harm us, we'll act against them very forcefully," he was quoted as saying in a separate statement communicated by his spokesman Ofir Gendelman.
"This is the biggest attack on Israel since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense," the military said on its Twitter feed, referring to the 2012 confrontation which claimed the lives of 177 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and six Israelis.
Speaking to Israel's private Channel 2 television, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would have no choice but to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew all troops and settlers in summer 2005.
"Following an attack like this -- a barrage of more than 50 rockets -- there is no alternative to a full reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip," he said.
A day earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
The three resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
The al-Quds Brigades said at the time that the militants were affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.
Also Tuesday morning, an Israeli drone fell in the area of the attack.
The airstrikes came just hours after Palestinian security sources said a man died after Israeli soldiers fired at him while he was driving near the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The Israeli army also killed two Palestinians in the West Bank on Monday.
Israeli soldiers shot and killed 18-year-old Saji Darwish near Ramallah late Monday, after he allegedly threw stones at Israeli vehicles.
Earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian-Jordanian judge at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan.
Israel launched artillery strikes against the Gaza Strip as a barrage of rockets from the besieged coastal enclave hit southern Israel on Wednesday, with no reported injuries.
An Israeli military spokeswoman told Ma'an that Israeli forces had launched "artillery fire" at two "terror locations in the northern and southern Gaza Strip" on Wednesday afternoon, in response to a volley of rocket fire from the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad earlier said it had fired 130 rockets into Israel, in response to an Israeli airstrike the day before that killed three Palestinian militants in the coastal enclave.
The al-Quds Brigades, the group's armed wing, claimed responsibility for the operation, which it named "Breaking the Silence."
A spokesman for the al-Quds Brigades said that the group was not breaking the truce between Israel and Hamas, but was merely "responding" to Israeli killings of seven Palestinians in the last two days, including three in Gaza on Tuesday.
"We are aware of the siege and division" between Palestinian political factions, spokesman Abu Ahmad told Ma'an, "but I don't think our silence to the attack won't ease the siege," he explained.
Three other Palestinian militant groups also claimed to have participated in the attacks on Israel, including the National Resistance Brigades, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
The National Resistance Brigades, the military wing of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, claimed responsibility for launching four 107 rockets on Wednesday around 8:10 p.m.
The brigades said in a joint statement that the attacks were a response to the continuous Israeli attack on "our unarmed people."
The "Vertical Battalion" of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade also claimed responsibility, saying that they fired eight 107 rockets at Sderot and three at Nahal Oz.
'Palestinians have the right to protect themselves'
Spokesman for the Gaza Strip government Ihab al-Ghussein, meanwhile, said that Israel is "responsible for any escalation," warning of the "consequences of any escalation" and reiterating that "resistance is the right of the Palestinian people to defend itself."
Al-Ghussein said that Palestinian factions are "wise" and see the truce as a benefit for the Palestinian people, but that Israel is "violating" the truce.
Gaza Strip government spokeswoman Israa Modallal said in a statement: "As long as Israel continues to impose a blockade on the Gaza Strip, the Palestinians have the right to defend and to protect themselves."
Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip government and maintains a fragile ceasefire with Israel, but other groups occasionally launch attacks.
Israel has repeatedly violated the ceasefire in the last year by launching attacks into the Strip and opening fire on civilians near the border, and militant groups often respond with rocket fire, which mostly falls in open areas.
Israel has also maintained a severe economic blockade on the Gaza Strip's 1.5 million residents since 2006.
The blockade has severely limited the imports and exports of the Gaza Strip and has led to frequent humanitarian crises and hardship for Gazans.
The escalation came just hours after British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived on his first official visit to the region since taking over as premier in 2010.
It was the heaviest barrage of cross-border rocket fire since a major eight-day confrontation in November 2012 between Israel and militants from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement.
An Israeli security source told AFP that militants had fired more than 50 rockets "in close succession," targeting areas all over the south.
The Israeli army put the number at "more than 30 rockets," saying eight of them had struck urban areas, and another three were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.
Police said the rocket fire fell in several waves along the length of Israel's border with Gaza and that one struck near a public library in the town of Sderot, while another hit near a petrol station in another area.
There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
We will respond 'with great force'
The attack began shortly after Netanyahu and Cameron addressed the parliament, and prompted a stern warning from the Israeli leader who pledged to act "with great force" against those seeking to harm Israel, a statement from his office said.
"We will continue to strike those who want to harm us, we'll act against them very forcefully," he was quoted as saying in a separate statement communicated by his spokesman Ofir Gendelman.
"This is the biggest attack on Israel since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defense," the military said on its Twitter feed, referring to the 2012 confrontation which claimed the lives of 177 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and six Israelis.
Speaking to Israel's private Channel 2 television, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would have no choice but to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew all troops and settlers in summer 2005.
"Following an attack like this -- a barrage of more than 50 rockets -- there is no alternative to a full reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip," he said.
A day earlier, an Israeli airstrike killed three Palestinians in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
The three resistance fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
The al-Quds Brigades said at the time that the militants were affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"An IAF aircraft responded immediately in order to prevent further attacks on Israeli civilians and targeted the terrorist squad. Direct hits were confirmed, the army statement said.
Also Tuesday morning, an Israeli drone fell in the area of the attack.
The airstrikes came just hours after Palestinian security sources said a man died after Israeli soldiers fired at him while he was driving near the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The Israeli army also killed two Palestinians in the West Bank on Monday.
Israeli soldiers shot and killed 18-year-old Saji Darwish near Ramallah late Monday, after he allegedly threw stones at Israeli vehicles.
Earlier, Israeli forces shot and killed a Palestinian-Jordanian judge at the Allenby Bridge crossing with Jordan.
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Five Palestinians were injured after Israeli forces opened fire with live and rubber-coated steel bullets during clashes in Beit Ummar north of Hebron.
Spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committee against the Wall Mohammad Ayyad Awad in Beit Ummar said that Bashir Irzeeq Bashir Abu Ayyash, 16, was shot in the left thigh with a live bullet and was taken to Aliya hospital in moderate condition. Two others others were injured by bullet fragments, including an unidentified 16-year-old who was |
injured in the stomach and an unidentified 17-year-old who was hit in the left thigh.
Two others were hit by rubber-coated steel bullets in their feet and were treated on the scene in the Aseeda area. Dozens of others suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation during the clashes.
Israeli forces climbed the rooftops of several houses and closed the main road of the village, the spokesman added.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Beit Ummar has seen frequent clashes in recent weeks as Israeli forces have blocked the main road into the village, leading locals to respond in anger.
Two others were hit by rubber-coated steel bullets in their feet and were treated on the scene in the Aseeda area. Dozens of others suffered from excessive tear gas inhalation during the clashes.
Israeli forces climbed the rooftops of several houses and closed the main road of the village, the spokesman added.
An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Beit Ummar has seen frequent clashes in recent weeks as Israeli forces have blocked the main road into the village, leading locals to respond in anger.
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Dozens marched through the streets of Jerusalem on March 2, calling for an end to peace talks and decrying the deaths of two Palestinians the week before.
The demonstration was held in memory of Jihad Abd al-Rahman al-Taweel, who died on Feb. 27 weeks after being assaulted by prison guards, and Muatazz Washaha, a young man killed after Israeli forces fired a shell at his home during an arrest raid on Feb. 25 in Birzeit. Undercover Israeli officers made arrests and police mounted on horseback chased protesters towards al-Zahra gate. As youths clashed with policemen, several Palestinians were detained. |
The Erez crossing between Israel and Gaza
The Israeli occupation on Wednesday evening decided to close the two lone border crossings with the Gaza Strip. Director of Borders Directorate in the Palestinian Authority Nazmi Muhanna told Safa Press Agency that “the Israeli authorities informed that the Erez and Karm Abu Salem crossing will be closed as from Thursday until further notice.”
The decision came four hours after Islamic Jihad’s armed wing Saraya Al Quds announced the firing of some 130 rockets on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s killing of three of its military wing.
Spokesman for the Palestinian government in Gaza warned Israel against any escalations.
"We hold the occupation accountable and warn of the consequences of any escalatory acts,” Mr Ihab al-Gusain said.
He reiterated the Palestinian resistance’s right to defend the Palestinian people against any aggressions.
In a related context, the Israeli occupation army approved ‘a tough response’ to the Islamic Jihad rocket attack, reported Israel Channel 10.
Gaza has been under severe economic Israeli blockade since 2007 where the imports and exports are severely restricted.
The Israeli occupation on Wednesday evening decided to close the two lone border crossings with the Gaza Strip. Director of Borders Directorate in the Palestinian Authority Nazmi Muhanna told Safa Press Agency that “the Israeli authorities informed that the Erez and Karm Abu Salem crossing will be closed as from Thursday until further notice.”
The decision came four hours after Islamic Jihad’s armed wing Saraya Al Quds announced the firing of some 130 rockets on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s killing of three of its military wing.
Spokesman for the Palestinian government in Gaza warned Israel against any escalations.
"We hold the occupation accountable and warn of the consequences of any escalatory acts,” Mr Ihab al-Gusain said.
He reiterated the Palestinian resistance’s right to defend the Palestinian people against any aggressions.
In a related context, the Israeli occupation army approved ‘a tough response’ to the Islamic Jihad rocket attack, reported Israel Channel 10.
Gaza has been under severe economic Israeli blockade since 2007 where the imports and exports are severely restricted.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Israel would respond "forcefully" against a volley of rocket fire launched against Israel, promising to maintain its security.
"It appears that a rocket salvo came in response to the preventative (air force) strike yesterday. we will continue stopping attacks and hitting those who wish to harm us, and will act against them with full force," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook shortly after the barrage, according to Israeli media.
"The number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip in the last year has been the lowest in a decade, but this is not enough for us. We will continue acting to ensure the security of the people of Israel both in the south and across the country," Israel's Ynet news site quoted him as saying.
He added: "We will respond against the attacks forcefully and continue in our work against terror organizations."
The statements come after dozens of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel.
The al-Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad claimed the volley of rockets, which came a day after an Israeli air force strike killed three of the group's militants.
The three fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
The al-Quds Brigades said at the time that the militants were affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
"It appears that a rocket salvo came in response to the preventative (air force) strike yesterday. we will continue stopping attacks and hitting those who wish to harm us, and will act against them with full force," Netanyahu wrote on Facebook shortly after the barrage, according to Israeli media.
"The number of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip in the last year has been the lowest in a decade, but this is not enough for us. We will continue acting to ensure the security of the people of Israel both in the south and across the country," Israel's Ynet news site quoted him as saying.
He added: "We will respond against the attacks forcefully and continue in our work against terror organizations."
The statements come after dozens of rockets launched from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel.
The al-Quds Brigades of Islamic Jihad claimed the volley of rockets, which came a day after an Israeli air force strike killed three of the group's militants.
The three fighters were killed by the airstrike in southeast Khan Younis near the Sufa crossing.
The al-Quds Brigades said at the time that the militants were affiliated to the group.
"They were in confrontation with the occupation trying to stop the progress of Israeli military vehicles which were approaching the area," the statement said.
The Israeli army said in a statement that "terrorists affiliated with the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the southern Gaza Strip fired a mortar shell at IDF forces."
Violent clashes broke out on Tuesday at Bab al-Amoud in occupied Jerusalem between Israeli policemen and Jerusalemite youths who were protesting the killing of 6 Palestinians in 48 hours and condemning the ban on youths' access to al-Aqsa Mosque yards. Eyewitnesses told PIC reporter that Israeli forces suppressed the march and fired stun grenades and rubber bullets at the protesters.
Five Jerusalemites were arrested during the demonstration, in addition to the injury of a photojournalist who was covering the event, the sources added.
Meanwhile, three Palestinians were arrested in occupied West Bank, including a wounded young man from Nablus.
The Israeli patrols arrested Mohammed Haitham Abu Atwan during clashes that erupted in Dura village south of al-Khalil, amid raid and search operations into homes in the adjacent areas.
Israeli occupation forces also detained Ahmed Qawasmeh as sporadic clashes broke out in Aroub camp north of al-Khalil. Tear gas canisters and metal bullets were fired during the clashes.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out in Askar refugee camp in Nablus when eight Israeli jeeps stormed at early hours of Tuesday morning the camp. Israeli soldiers fired live bullets, which led to the injury of Dawoud Abu Haya who was then arrested despite his leg injury, local sources said.
The sources added that the Israeli forces' withdrawal from the camp caused a state of panic among the students who were heading to their schools.
Five Jerusalemites were arrested during the demonstration, in addition to the injury of a photojournalist who was covering the event, the sources added.
Meanwhile, three Palestinians were arrested in occupied West Bank, including a wounded young man from Nablus.
The Israeli patrols arrested Mohammed Haitham Abu Atwan during clashes that erupted in Dura village south of al-Khalil, amid raid and search operations into homes in the adjacent areas.
Israeli occupation forces also detained Ahmed Qawasmeh as sporadic clashes broke out in Aroub camp north of al-Khalil. Tear gas canisters and metal bullets were fired during the clashes.
Meanwhile, clashes broke out in Askar refugee camp in Nablus when eight Israeli jeeps stormed at early hours of Tuesday morning the camp. Israeli soldiers fired live bullets, which led to the injury of Dawoud Abu Haya who was then arrested despite his leg injury, local sources said.
The sources added that the Israeli forces' withdrawal from the camp caused a state of panic among the students who were heading to their schools.
A Jewish settler in a speeding car ran over a Palestinian boy in Husan village to the west of Bethlehem on Tuesday evening then sped away. Local sources told the PIC reporter that the 16-year-old boy Hani Shusha was injured in the accident and was hospitalized.
The sources pointed out that Israeli occupation forces stormed the village after the incident in ten army jeeps spreading tension among the inhabitants.
The sources pointed out that Israeli occupation forces stormed the village after the incident in ten army jeeps spreading tension among the inhabitants.
Israeli navy kidnapped three Palestinian fishermen and confiscated their fishing boat off the coast of Gaza city on Tuesday night. Nizar Ayash, the chairman of the fishermen syndicate, told the PIC reporter that Israeli navy gunboats intercepted the boat of Jihad and Shaban Abu Riyala off the coast of Sheikh Ajlin to the west of Gaza city.
He said that the Israeli navy commandeered the fishing boat to one of its ports with the two fishermen on board.
Palestinian fishing boats came under Israeli navy gunfire on Tuesday morning off the Sudaniya and Beit Lahia coasts to the north of Gaza slightly injuring one of the fishermen.
He said that the Israeli navy commandeered the fishing boat to one of its ports with the two fishermen on board.
Palestinian fishing boats came under Israeli navy gunfire on Tuesday morning off the Sudaniya and Beit Lahia coasts to the north of Gaza slightly injuring one of the fishermen.
