VOA News
Israel launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip on Friday in response to rocket fire by militants in the Palestinian territory. The exchange comes amid increasing tensions following a deadly raid by Israeli forces on the occupied West Bank.
The Israeli military said it had carried out at least two rounds of strikes targeting Islamic Jihad militants who had allegedly shot several Israelis.
There were no reports of injuries on either side. Israel says most of the Gaza rockets were intercepted by the Israeli defense system.
Friday’s crossfire follows an Israeli raid on a refugee camp Thursday in Jenin that killed nine people, one of the bloodiest days in the West Bank in years.
So far, there have been no claims of responsibility for the rocket fire from Gaza, but both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have vowed to respond to Thursday’s Israeli raid in the West Bank. – gb
