Jerusalem: Violence escalated in the troubled Gaza Strip today with Israeli fighter jets targeting Palestinian rocket launchers and a weapons workshop, dealing a severe blow to chances of extending a six-month Egypt-mediated truce in the region which is set to expire tomorrow.

The Israeli air raids, carried out overnight, were in retaliation to around 20 rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip yesterday.

It was for the first time during the six-month ceasefire between the Jewish state and the Palestinian militant factions that Israel had deployed the fighter jets.

The Israeli raids targeteda weapons cache in the refugee-dominated northern Gaza town of Jabalaya and a metal workshop that used to manufacture rockets and mortars in the southern town of Khan Younis. The Palestinian rocket launchers were also attacked, reports reaching here said.

There were no casualties in the Israeli air strikes but they caused extensive damage to the infrastructure, Palestinian sources said.

The last week had seen an upsurgein rocket attacks from Gaza with some 20 hitting Israel's southern areas yesterday alone, leaving three people wounded. A Palestinian man was also killed yesterday during an Israeli air raid on Gaza.

Gaza militants this morning fired four Qassam rockets but there were no injuries or damage.

The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, affiliated to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party, claimed responsibility for two of the rockets fired today.  
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 

Source : PTI