GAZA (Dispatches) – The Zionist regime’s jets late on Saturday attacked different positions in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said.
The strike was claimed to be in response to earlier protests that took place near the Gaza fence, and the alleged launch of incendiary balloons towards the occupied territories, according to the sources.
Witnesses said that the Zionist jets struck several targets in southern, central and northern Gaza Strip. Paramedics said no injuries were reported, but damage were caused.
The Israeli army claimed in a statement on Sunday that “fighter jets struck a Hamas military compound used for manufacturing weapons and training as well as an entrance to a tunnel adjacent to Jabalia” refugee camp.
“The strikes were in response to Hamas launching incendiary balloons and the violent riots that took place yesterday,” it said.
Witnesses said they saw flames of fire and black smoke coming out of the targeted posts. They also heard the buzz of Zionist drones and fighter jets hovering over the Gaza Strip, which was followed by several explosions.
Earlier, hundreds of people had staged demonstrations along the fence to condemn the occupying regime’s crippling blockade and repeated acts of aggression.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said Saturday that 11 Palestinians were wounded in clashes with Zionist troops near the fence.
According to the ministry, three of those wounded by live fire were in moderate condition.
The other eight are said to have been lightly hurt from rubber bullets or stun grenades.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum held the Zionist regime fully responsible for the consequences of its ongoing blockade against the Gaza Strip, and deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Barhoum said in a statement that the Tel Aviv regime’s aggressive policies against Gaza are creating an atmosphere of escalating tensions and eventual confrontation.
He lauded the steadfastness and resilience of the Palestinian nation in the face of the occupation, siege and settlements in the occupied West Bank as well as the Gaza Strip.
The Hamas spokesman stressed that Palestinians will never accept the policies of the occupying regime and its violation of their national rights, and will continue to fight for their deprived rights.
He called on all parties to fulfill their responsibilities and pressure the regime to end its oppressive and unjust siege of the Gaza Strip.
The coastal enclave has been under an Israeli blockade since 2007. The siege has inflicted severe hardship on residents. The poverty rate among Gaza’s population has reached 53 percent, while “extreme poverty” stands at 33.8 percent, according to statistics by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS).