An Israeli missile strike killed a Palestinian militant in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, medical workers and witnesses said, a day after 11 Palestinians were killed during an Israeli raid into the coastal territory.
Residents said the missile attack killed one gunman and wounded two others from the Islamic Jihad militant group. An Israeli army spokesperson said: ”The army attacked a group of militants in northern Gaza who had just fired a rocket at Israel.”
Israel had launched a raid into the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun on Wednesday, following a surge in cross-border rocket salvoes. Palestinian militants fought back.
The Islamist group Hamas, which seized control of Gaza from rival forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in June, said Israel would ”pay heavily” for the attack.
”The resistance factions are ready to force the Zionist enemy to pay a heavy price if they pursue their aggression. All options will be open to the factions in order to defend our people,” said Hamas spokesperson Sami Abu Zuhri.
Israel’s army said its troops had pulled back overnight after Wednesday’s raid, but the deputy defence minister said on Thursday the lull in fighting would not last.
”To fight [the militants]. That is the only solution … One time with a small operation, one time with a big operation,” Matan Vilnai told Israel Radio.
Witnesses said Israeli troops pulled back to positions they held earlier inside the coastal territory.
At least 21 Palestinians were also wounded in some of the fiercest fighting since Hamas seized control. One Hamas militant who was wounded on Wednesday died in hospital early on Thursday.
Israel, which last week declared Gaza an ”enemy entity”, has signalled that it could order its forces in to seize areas used for launching improvised, short-range rockets into Israel.
”We are getting closer to carrying out a widespread operation in Gaza,” Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday.
Israel withdrew troops and Jewish settlers from the coastal enclave in 2005, though it retains control of its air, land and sea borders. The government said last week it was considering cutting energy and other supplies to the territory’s 1,5-million people because of the continuing rocket fire. – Reuters