Three people were injured, including one critically, as Israel bombed Hamas sites in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security and medical sources have said, hours after a rocket hit the Jewish state.
A security source told AFP that Israeli warplanes had struck two bases belonging to Hamas’ military wing in northern Gaza last night, causing significant damage.
A medical official at the Shifa Hospital in Gaza City said three people were being treated for injuries, including a 26-year-old man who was in critical condition after being struck in the head with shrapnel.
The Israeli army confirmed the strikes, saying they were in retaliation for a rocket fired a few hours earlier from Gaza, which landed in southern Israel.
That incident caused no casualties or damage, a military spokesperson added.
Israel and Islamists Hamas, who run Gaza, have fought three wars since 2008.
Since the most recent conflict in 2014, a fragile ceasefire has been observed along the largely closed border.
Missiles and rockets are periodically fired into Israel, generally by hardline Islamist groups opposed to Hamas.
{{/usCountry}}Missiles and rockets are periodically fired into Israel, generally by hardline Islamist groups opposed to Hamas.
{{/usCountry}}But Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from Gaza, regardless of who carried it out, and usually retaliates within hours.