Gaza pounded by Israeli air raids following Palestinian rocketfire

Palestinians in Gaza witnessed more bombing of its besieged territories after war planes and tanks launched punishing attacks on the densely populated strip after a rocket hit an Israeli city.
2 min read
21 August, 2016
Gaza is one of the most densely packed corners of the world [AFP]

Gaza was pounded by air raids and tank shells on Sunday, after militants in the besieged Palestinian territory fired a rocket at an Israeli city.

Nobody was injured in the Palestinian rocket attack on Israeli city of Sderot, which fell painlessly in an empty area between housing and a road.

Israeli military units fired back into Gaza with tanks and aircraft targeting two suspected Hamas posts in northern Gaza.

Hamas officials said a training camp in northern was hit targeted, but the camp was evacuated after the rocket was fired in anticipation of an Israeli reprisal.

A resovoir was also reportedly "destroyed" in the attack, while two people were injured.

"One of them is a 20-year-old (young man) who was hit by shrapnel in the face," said Ashraf al-Qudra, spokesman for the Palestinian health ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza.

Israel and Hamas fought a 50-day war in the summer of 2014 leading to at least 2,000 Palestinian dead, the vast majority civilian.

Since then, a cease-fire has largely held but some Gaza-based militant groups occasionally launch crude rockets toward Israel.

This was the first time downtown Sderot has been hit by rocketfire from Gaza since the 2014 war.

Israel holds Gaza's Hamas authority responsible for all rockets fired from the besieged territory.