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Hamas, Israel Trade Strikes, Leaving 1 Palestinian Dead


Palestinians inspect a site belonging to Hamas after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 2, 2019.
Palestinians inspect a site belonging to Hamas after it was targeted by Israeli warplanes in the southern Gaza Strip, Nov. 2, 2019.

A Palestinian was killed by Israeli airstrikes Saturday, the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said, in an attack launched in response to rocket fire.

Dozens of strikes hit the Palestinian enclave in the early hours, targeting bases of the strip's Islamist rulers and allied groups, a security source in Gaza said.

The Israeli army said the strikes targeted "a wide range of Hamas terror targets," including a Hamas naval site, a military compound and a weapons manufacturing site.

One 27-year-old man was killed, the health ministry in Gaza said. It did not say whether he was affiliated with any faction.

The sound of explosions could be heard up and down the impoverished territory, an AFP correspondent said.

A Hamas source said they had fired at the Israeli aircraft carrying out the raids and the Israeli army confirmed fresh "incoming fire" from Gaza.

The strikes came in response to at least 10 rockets fired from Gaza late Friday at southern Israel.

Iron Dome anti-missile system fires interception missiles as rockets are launched from Gaza toward Israel as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel, Nov. 1, 2019.
Iron Dome anti-missile system fires interception missiles as rockets are launched from Gaza toward Israel as seen from the city of Ashkelon, Israel, Nov. 1, 2019.

The Israeli army said the country's Iron Dome anti-missile defense system intercepted eight of the rockets.

The rockets were fired in waves, the army said, with air raid sirens sounding.

One house was hit and damaged, without any casualties, the army said, posting a picture on Twitter.

It was the second consecutive evening that the army reported rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, which is ruled by Hamas.

Before Thursday, there had been no such reported rocket fire from Gaza since Sept. 12.

In August, a series of rocket attacks from Gaza and Israeli retaliations, as well as border clashes, raised fears of an escalation between Hamas and Israel, as elections approached in the Jewish state.

Those polls, Israel's second elections this year, took place Sept. 17, but have yet to yield a new government.

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