TEL AVIV / GAZA CITY (BNO NEWS) — Israeli aircraft on early Friday morning carried out a series of airstrikes in Gaza, officials said, reportedly killing at least one person. The airstrikes came just hours after a series of attacks in southern Israel.
A spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft bombed seven suspected terrorist targets in Gaza on early Friday morning. “These sites were targeted in response to the combined terrorist attacks that took place yesterday around noon near the city of Eilat, as well as the firing of rockets at Israel from Gaza,” the spokesperson said.
The IDF said it targeted a suspected weapons manufacturing site and two ‘terror activity’ sites in northern Gaza. In southern Gaza, Israeli airstrikes targeted two smuggling tunnels, a ‘terror’ tunnel and a ‘terror activity’ tunnel, the IDF said.
The Palestine News Network (PNN) however claimed that one of the airstrikes struck a house in the al-Sodaniyah area of Gaza City, killing a 13-year-old boy and injuring 17 other civilians. It was not possible to independently confirm the allegations.
The Israeli airstrikes were in response to a series of attacks in southern Israel on Thursday afternoon, killing eight people and injuring more than 40 others. It was also in response to several rockets which were fired at Israel from Gaza on Thursday.
“The IDF will not tolerate any malicious attempt to harm Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will not hesitate to respond with strength and determination to any element that uses terror against the State of Israel and until calm is restored,” the IDF spokesperson warned. “The IDF holds the Hamas terrorist organization solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip.”
On Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu warned the country would retaliate for Thursday’s attacks. “I have set out a principle – when the citizens of Israel are attacked, we respond immediately and with strength,” he said.
The IDF had already carried out several airstrikes in the southern Gaza Strip on Thursday evening in response to the attacks. The airstrikes killed six suspected militants, including Kamal Abu Abed al-Nairab who was a senior commander in the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC).
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