Israel Hits 5 Targets in Gaza Strip in Response to Shelling From Hamas

Israel Defense Forces' spokesman said that IAF attacked Wednesday five targets in the Gaza Strip belonging to the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in response to mortar shelling by Hamas's militants.

GAZA/TEL-AVIV (Sputnik) — Israeli Air Force (IAF) attacked Wednesday five targets in the Gaza Strip belonging to the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement in response to mortar shelling by Hamas's militants, Israel Defense Forces' spokesman said.

#Breaking Following 5 attacks against Israeli forces today, an IAF aircraft targeted 5 #Hamas terrorist infrastructure in southern #Gaza

— Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) May 4, 2016

​After the July 2014 Israeli ground offensive, aiming to destroy Hamas rocket launchers and the network of tunnels along the Gaza border with the Jewish State, Israeli military continue searching for Hamas made tunnels, which have been used to resist the Israeli forces as well as to secretly enter Israeli territory and smuggle arms.

Israeli Haaretz newspaper said Wednesday, citing unnamed sources in the Israeli military establishment, that the conflicting sides had attacked each other for the first time since 2014 armed conflict.

The #IDF will continue to operate in order to protect the civilians of #Israel from all #Hamas terrorist threats above & beneath ground.

— Peter Lerner (@LTCPeterLerner) May 4, 2016

​Israel imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip in 2007, when Hamas took over the exclave following the ouster of the Fatah party from the Palestinian national unity government.