Palestinian militants fire rockets after Israel strikes Gaza

AP, Gaza City: Palestinian militants fired dozens of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Wednesday, in a first response to ongoing Israeli airstrikes that have killed 19 Palestinians, including three senior militants and at least 10 civilians.

The rocket fire set off air-raid sirens throughout southern Israel and as far away as the Tel Aviv area, on the Mediterranean Sea, 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. Residents had been bracing for an attack since Israel carried out its first airstrikes early Tuesday.

Israeli TV stations showed air defense systems intercepting rockets above the skies of Tel Aviv. In the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, people lay face-down on the ground as they took cover during one attack. In a move that could further raise tensions, Israeli police said they would permit a Jewish ultranationalist parade to take place next week.

The parade, meant to celebrate Israel’s capture of east Jerusalem and its Jewish holy sites, marches through the heart of the Old City’s Muslim Quarter and often leads to friction with local Palestinian residents. As air raid sirens continued to wail, Israeli media said at least 100 rockets had been fired. Israeli rescuers said two people were hurt running for shelter, and local officials said an empty home in the southern town of Sderot was struck.

Throughout the day, Israeli aircraft hit targets in Gaza for the second straight day, killing at least three Palestinians. Tuesday’s strikes killed three senior Islamic Jihad militants and at least 10 civilians — most of them women and children.

Palestinian militants have pledged to retaliate while Israel says it is prepared for a further escalation of hostilities. The Israeli military said its attacks were focused on Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant infrastructure in the coastal enclave. The army said one airstrike targeted militants traveling to a rocket launcher site in southern Gaza Strip. Medics said the strike killed one man and seriously wounded another.

Later Wednesday, another airstrike killed a Palestinian in northern Gaza and two Palestinians in the southern city of Rafah. Palestinian officials could not confirm whether the targets were militants. It also remained unclear whether two Palestinians killed in a separate airstrike late Tuesday were militants or civilians. Israel has claimed the men were preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.