Israel Hits Four Hamas Targets in Gaza Strip in Retaliatory Fire

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked Thursday four targets of the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket and mortar fire by Hamas' militants, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.

GAZA/TEL AVIV (Sputnik) — Since Tuesday, Palestinian militants have launched several mortar shelling attacks against the Israeli army units that entered the Gaza territory searching for Hamas tunnels.

"Overnight, in response to ongoing rocket attacks and mortar fire against IDF forces, the IAF targeted 4 Hamas terror sites in Gaza," the IDF wrote on its Twitter account, adding that it had uncovered the second Hamas tunnel in last three weeks through "intel, advanced tech, & ground operations."

According to media reports, at least four people were injured as a result of the overnight shelling.

After the July 2014 Israeli ground offensive, aiming to destroy Hamas rocket launchers and the network of tunnels along the Gaza border with Israel, the country's military continues searching for Hamas tunnels which have been used to resist the Israeli forces as well as to secretly enter Israeli territory and smuggle arms.