Israeli aircraft strike Gaza targets after rocket attack

The Israel Air Force on Friday night struck Hamas targets in the southern Gaza Strip for the first time since the summer’s war.

The air force reportedly struck a Hamas training ground near Khan Yunis.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.

Gaza residents reported low-flying Israeli aircraft over the Palestinian enclave and multiple airstrikes. Unconfirmed reports indicated Israeli warships may also have shelled the Gaza Strip.

A spokesman for Gaza‘s Hamas-run Health Ministry said there were no casualties in the attack, the first air strike by Israel on the Palestinian enclave since the summer truce that ended the 50-day war between the sides.

The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement that Israeli planes “struck Hamas terror infrastructure site in the southern Gaza Strip” in response to Friday’s rocket attack, and that a direct was confirmed.

“The IDF will not permit any attempt to undermine the security and jeopardize the well being of the civilians of Israel,” Spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said. “The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible and accountable for today’s attack against Israel.”

Friday night’s airstrike came following a rocket attack on southern Israel on Friday afternoon. Palestinians in Gaza fired a Kassam rocket at an Israeli community in the Eshkol region near the Gaza Strip, causing neither casualties nor damage.

It was the third time that Gaza terrorists have fired rockets at Israel since the conclusion of Operation Protective Edge, last summer’s war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

IDF soldiers swept the area Friday and found the remains of the rocket.