Israel carries out airstrikes on Gaza after Palestinian rocket fire
Powerful explosions shook buildings and lit up the night sky over the Gaza Strip
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Israeli aircraft have stuck Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket fire, the latest clash in days of violence.
The military said its air strikes targeted rocket and weapon production sites used by Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the blockaded strip, in response to Israeli air defences having intercepted a rocket from Gaza late on Wednesday.
No Palestinian groups claimed Wednesday's rocket fire. An unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show three rockets before launch, one of which said "female prisoners are a red line".
Powerful explosions shook buildings and lit up the night sky over Gaza as warning sirens sounded in Israeli towns and villages around the strip warning of incoming rocket fire before dawn on Thursday.
The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said it had fired some of the rockets in response to the air strikes and the "systematic aggression" against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
With no reports of serious casualties, the exchange followed a familiar pattern that signalled neither side was seeking a wider conflict.
The fire exchange underlined the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians after a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people near a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem and an Israeli raid in the West Bank killed 10 Palestinians, including eight militants.
Last year was the deadliest in more than a decade in the West Bank, with violence steadily escalating following a spate of lethal Palestinian attacks in Israel, which drew stepped-up Israeli raids against gunmen.
The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had urged calm on wrapping up a visit to the region earlier this week, during which he reaffirmed Washington's support for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict.
The top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, and U.S. special representative for Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, remained behind to continue de-escalation talks between the sides and are due to meet Palestinian officials on Thursday.
In a tweet sent after Wednesday's rocket launch, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees prisons, said he would push ahead with plans to toughen conditions for Palestinian prisoners.
The strikes come a day after the human rights group, Amnesty International, released a report on the occupied Palestinian territories, which it says highlights "Israel’s intent to create and maintain a system of oppression and domination over Palestinians".
Reuters
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments