Israel strikes Gaza after Palestinian rocket fire
The Israeli Defence Forces struck a number of Hamas sites in Gaza overnight in retaliation for Tuesday’s rocket fire.
Scenes from an Israeli air strike on Gaza as seen from Gaza City on May 2, 2023. Photo by Majdi Fathi/TPS
According to unconfirmed Mideast media reports based on Palestinian sources, Israel and the Gaza terror groups agreed to a ceasefire.
Palestinians fired rockets at Ashkelon, Sderot and other communities adjacent to the Strip on Tuesday following the death of Sheikh Khader Adnan, a senior figure in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group died following an 86-day hunger strike in an Israeli prison.
Three people in Sderot suffered shrapnel wounds when a Palestinian rocket struck a construction site.
In response to the dozens of rockets launched at Israel from Gaza, the IDF struck weapon manufacturing sites, military compounds and underground terrorist tunnels belonging to terrorist organizations.
Terrorism anywhere is a threat to civilians everywhere. pic.twitter.com/2yto4VDtir
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) May 3, 2023
A military spokesperson said the IDF struck a munitions warehouse, weapons production facilities, training sites and a concrete factory used to build Hamas infrastructure. Also hit were an underground tunnel and a Hamas naval outpost.
“Hamas bears responsibility to what is happening in the Gaza Strip and it is the one who will pay the price for the security violations against the State of Israel,” the IDF statement said.
After the initial air strikes, Palestinians fired rockets, triggering sirens in Sderot, Netiv HaAsara, Yad Mordechai and other Israeli communities near the Gaza border.
The 45-year-old Adnan spent many years in Israeli prisons during 10 different terms. He popularized the use of hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners.
The Israeli Prison Service said that Adnan was found unconscious in his cell at the Nitzan Prison early Tuesday morning. CPR was performed and he was taken to the Assaf HaRofeh Hospital in Beer Yaakov where he was pronounced dead.
The IPS stressed that Adnan had refused to undergo medical tests or receive medical treatment during his hunger strike.
