Gaza City (Palestinian Territories): Israel kept up air strikes on Gaza into Tuesday and Palestinian militants launched new rockets despite a reported ceasefire deal, raising fears of a return to open conflict in the enclave.
Gaza’s Islamist rulers, Hamas, had said on Monday evening that an Egypt-brokered ceasefire has been agreed following a flare-up of violence just two weeks before an Israeli general election.
But the Israeli army reported late-night mortar fire and 30 new rocket launches from Gaza, on top of 30 rockets detected earlier in the evening.
Israel struck around 15 fresh targets including what the army said were a Hamas military compound and an Islamic Jihad position, adding in a statement that it would ‘increase its operational activity as necessary.’
“Our response was very powerful, very very powerful,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israeli reporters accompanying him on a visit to Washington.
“Hamas needs to know that we shall not hesitate to go in (to Gaza) and take all necessary steps,” he said.
