Then, the Israeli air force’s F-16 jets struck targets in the southern Gaza Strip.
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In addition, Israeli tanks fired three shells into Palestinian lands, east of Rafah city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
Since the 2014 war, Hamas, the movement in de facto control of the Gaza Strip, had “tolerated” Israeli troops entering 100 metres into the Gaza Strip while clearing the border area, an Israeli military spokesman said.
Retaliating for the firing of mortars on Israeli troops near the border with Gaza, Israel Air Force aircraft destroyed a Hamas facility south of Gaza City.
The violence has raised concerns for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the Islamist rulers of Gaza, that has held since the 50-day war in 2014 left 2,251 Palestinians and 73 Israelis dead.
“We are not calling for war but we will not allow incursions at all”, said Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas’s deputy chief, speaking at a mosque before Friday prayers.
Palestinian attacks intensified after Israel uncovered an attack tunnel Thursday beneath the border.
The Israeli government has repeatedly talked about the “next” Gaza War being much bloodier, with far more casualties, and officials always insist that the “next” war is only a matter of time.
The Israeli army said it had “no interest whatsoever” in a military escalation, but would continue to act against Hamas as “it continues to breach Israeli sovereignty and build tunnels”.
Zeina Al Omor, 53-year old woman from Gaza, was killed in an Israeli airstrike Thursday as attacks continued for the third day.
Tensions on the Gaza border have strained over the past week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met senior ministers on Friday to discuss the situation.
If the tunnel indeed crosses into Israel, it would be the second tunnel of its kind discovered since Israel’s devastating assault on the Gaza Strip in 2014.
And as residents of Israeli communities near the border demanded increased security and army presence on their perimeters, the army has insisted that regular troop deployment along the border is enough to guarantee civilians’ safety.
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The Hamas leader emphasized that Israeli forces have intruded almost 150 meters into Gazan territory.
