Palestinian media sources are reporting that Hamas says it has fired at least one mortar at the Israeli community of Nahal Oz, near the Gaza border.
Media are also reporting that employees have evacuated the Gazan interior ministry building for fear of a reprisal strike.
The claims come on a day of rapidly escalating tensions as Israeli troops in the area have come under attack several times, returning fire into Gaza at Hamas posts.
While Hamas is the de facto ruler of the Strip it has generally shied since the 2014 war from claiming responsibility for sporadic cross-border fire, which is normally attributed to smaller Salafi groups.
Hamas joining the fight would likely mark a major escalation in Israeli-Gaza tensions.
Israel considers the group responsible for any fire out of Gaza, and often responds by bombing Hamas.
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
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