Israeli Army Strikes Gaza After Rocket Fire

Israeli warplanes carried out airstrikes in the blockaded Gaza Strip following rocket fire from the Palestinian territory, according to the Israeli military on Wednesday.





In a statement, the army said its warplanes struck 25 targets belonging to Palestinian group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip.





The military said the airstrike came in response to a volley of rockets fired from inside Gaza into southern Israel.





No injuries were reported on the Israeli side.





Local residents in Gaza, meanwhile, said three people were slightly injured in the Israeli attacks.





On Tuesday, Israeli warplanes struck Hamas positions in retaliation for the launch of incendiary kites and balloons into southern Israel.





According to the Israeli authorities, incendiary kites and balloons launched from Gaza have caused more than 400 fires in or near Jewish settlements in southern Israel, causing roughly 2 million Israeli shekels (approximately $554,000) of damage.





Palestinian activists in eastern Gaza have been flying incendiary kites and balloons into Israeli territory as part of ongoing demonstrations near the Israel-Gaza security fence.





Since the protests began in March, at least 128 Palestinian demonstrators have been martyred -- and thousands more injured -- by Israeli army gunfire.





Protesters demand the "right of return" to their homes in historical Palestine from which they were driven in 1948 to make way for the new state of Israel.





They also demand an end to Israel's decade-long blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has gutted the coastal enclave's economy and deprived its roughly two million inhabitants of basic commodities. -