Hamas, Islamic Jihad claim rocket fire into Israel

The armed wings of Gaza's ruling Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad group announced on Monday they had fired a volley of rockets at Israel, a day after an Israeli airstrike that injured 10 people. "In response to the injury of civilians in the most recent strike on Rafah, the Qassam Brigades and the al-Quds Brigades fired a number of rockets at enemy military positions," Hamas's Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades armed wing said in a statement. Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP on Monday that a barrage of more than 20 rockets hit Israel early Monday, causing very light damage and no injuries. The remains of "19 rockets were found in the Ofakim area, specifically near the Eshkol regional council. All rockets landed in open areas, and one home was damaged by shrapnel," she said. In addition, "three rockets were found in the Kerem Shalom area, they caused no injuries or damage," Samri said. The rocket fire came after an Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Rafah early on Sunday evening. The strike targeted two men belonging to a Salafist militant group, the Israeli military said, accusing the men of being involved in planning attacks on Israelis. The men were critically wounded in the strike, which also injured eight others, including children. On Monday morning, Ashraf al-Qidra, spokesman for the Hamas health ministry in Gaza, said that tank shelling east of the Gaza city of Khan Yunis had injured three people, including one in a serious condition.