Israel strikes Hamas targets in Gaza after rocket attack

The Israeli air force struck two rocket ammunition manufacturing sites, a military compound and "underground infrastructures", a statement by the military said.

A rocket was fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, according to the army, shortly after warning sirens sounded in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. 

The army statement gave no further details, but emergency services said they had no notification of anyone wounded and Israeli media said the projectile fell on open ground.

The latest reported fire from the Hamas-ruled Palestinian enclave came after two rockets were fired from the coastal strip into neighbouring Israel in the early hours of last Sunday.

There were no casualties or damage in that attack. Israel struck back with fighter planes, helicopters and tanks, hitting what the army said were Hamas targets.

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There was no claim of responsibility for the November 15 rocket fire, but Israel routinely holds Islamist group Hamas responsible for all attacks originating from its territory.

Israel and Hamas have fought three wars and several skirmishes since the group seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza, including those claimed by other militant groups.

Israel and Egypt have maintained a crippling blockade on the coastal territory, which is home to 2 million Palestinians, since Hamas took power.

An informal truce brokered by Egypt and the United Nations, with the financial support of gas-rich Qatar, has been in force since late 2018.

It has been broken several times but has been restored on each occasion.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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