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'The Israel Air Force activity followed the firing of over 40 rockets at Israel this week, with seven of them fired in the past 24 hours,'said the IDF, adding that the Israeli air force 'targeted a terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.'' Direct hits were confirmed'.
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JERUSALEM (EJP)---The Israeli air force pounded targets in the northern Gaza Strip early on Wednesday, without causing casualties, following renewed rocket fire on southern Israel.
"The Israel Air Force activity followed the firing of over 40 rockets at Israel this week, with seven of them fired in the past 24 hours," the IDF said, adding that the Israeli air force "targeted a terror tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip overnight.""Direct hits were confirmed".
Palestinian sources confirmed the strike had hit a training camp in Beit Lahiya which was used by members of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the ruling Hamas movement.
The IDF said it "will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians, and will operate against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel. The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."
Late on Tuesday, Israel police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said five rockets had hit "close to the towns of Sderot and Netivot" which lie near the northern part of the Gaza border. There were no casualties or damage.
Early on Wednesday, a small group of radical Salafists claimed the rocket fire, saying it was in response to recent air strikes on Gaza.
Earlier this week, Hamas and Islamic Jihad fired a barrage of rockets and mortars projectiles at southern Israel communities, including a children’s petting zoo, a day after the air force raided the southern city of Rafah, targeting two terrorists whom the Israel said said were global jihad operatives preparing a terror attack to be launched from the Sinai peninsula.
It was the largest barrage of rockets from Gaza since June 2012. The attack signals a massive escalation by Hamas which claimed the attack.