RETALIATION

Reports: Israel Fired Airstrikes in Gaza

On Hamas buildings in Gaza.

Palestinian officials said Thursday that the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on Hamas buildings in Gaza, and there were reports of injuries from the attacks. The airstrikes were the latest in a string of assaults between Israel and Palestine: Palestinian militants fired rockets into Israel overnight and a British woman was killed in a bus bombing in Jerusalem. In a press conference with U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates in Tel Aviv, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said, “Hamas is the only one responsible for these attacks,” and said he will make sure there is no escalation of violence. In Gaza, Senior Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Tash said his group wants to end the violence in the area, but they will have to act defensively if “Zionist aggression” continues. Hamas said Israel targeted smuggling tunnels along the Gaza-Egypt border and one of its training camps in central Gaza.