Israel strikes Gaza target after rocket fire
Two rockets fired from Gaza set off air raid sirens in parts of southern Israel but caused no injuries or damage. No Palestinian group claimed responsibility.
Smoke and flames rise after Israeli warplanes hit a target in Gaza City on July 16, 2022.
The Israeli military has attacked what it said was a Hamas military site in the Gaza following a pair of rockets fired overnight.
The exchange took place hours after US President Joe Biden concluded a visit to Israel and the Palestinian territories on Friday.
The army said its fighter jets struck early Saturday an underground complex containing raw materials used in the production of rockets.
The two rockets, fired several hours apart, set off air raid sirens in parts of southern Israel but caused no injuries or damage. The army said one of the rockets was intercepted, while the others landed in open areas.
No Palestinian group claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. But Israel blames Hamas for any violence emanating from the Palestinian enclave.
Despite heightened tensions in recent months, Biden’s three-day trip to Israel and the occupied West Bank passed smoothly.
In the West Bank, Biden met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, expressing support for Palestinian independence but also saying that conditions are not ripe for re-launching peace talks.
READ MORE: Palestine's Abbas, Israel's Gantz discuss security ahead of Biden's visit
Biden-Abbas meeting criticised
Hamas dismissed Biden’s expressions of sympathy for the Palestinians, calling the United States “a partner in the aggression on our people.”
It also criticised Abbas for meeting with Biden and reiterating his support for a peace process with Israel.
Biden earlier held talks in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, during which a focal point was Iran's nuclear programme and that country's support for Hamas.
Copyright © 2024 TRT World.