BREAKING NEWS

Hamas: Escalation in Gaza will endanger Israel's security

The strikes come in response to a rocket that was fired from the strip against Israel earlier on Saturday evening.

JANUARY 12, 2019 23:19

Updated: JANUARY 13, 2019 12:30

Hamas threatened Israel in response to Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip late Saturday night, saying escalation in Gaza would endanger Israel's security, according to Ynet.

"Israel continues to carry out its campaign against nonviolent demonstrators, intentionally killing them in cold blood, and bombing the resistance," a Hamas spokesman said on Sunday according to the report, referring to the death of a 43-year-old Palestinian. This will not bring security to the country. Israel must bear the consequences. "

The Israeli Air Force struck targets in the northern Gaza Strip late Saturday night, the IDF said in a statement.

"IDF fighter jets attacked two underground infrastructures belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the northern Gaza Strip in response to a rocket launch from the Gaza Strip earlier in the evening," the IDF statement read.

According to media reports F-16s attacked several targets in North Gaza and east of Khan Younis and fighter helicopters were spotted over the northern Strip.

Several massive explosions were heard in Central Gaza, with some sources saying the destruction of tunnels led to the explosions.

The strikes come in response to a rocket that was fired from the strip against Israel earlier on Saturday evening.

The rocket landed in open territory. No casualties were reported.

"The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for what is happening in and out of the Gaza Strip," the IDF spokesperson said, adding that "the IDF will continue to act in defense of Israeli citizens and against terror from the Gaza Strip.

On Friday, a Palestinian woman was killed and an IDF soldier was lightly wounded on during violent protests along the Gaza border, where thousands of Palestinians gathered for weekly protests.

The military said some 13,000 Palestinians participated in the riots along the security fence, burning tires, throwing rocks, fire bombs and hand grenades toward troops, and trying to breach the security fence.

More than 205 Palestinians have been killed and more than 22,000 injured since the March of Return protests along Gaza border began on March 30, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza. The protests call for an end of the 12-year-long Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip.