Israel, Gaza militants trade fire after West Bank deaths

The Israeli military said early Friday that it carried out airstrikes in the Gaza Strip after militants fired rockets from Palestinian territories toward Israel. 

The exchange of fire came hours after nine Palestinians —  including at least seven militants — were reported killed in a raid by Israeli forces in the city of Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. 

Exchange of fire

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its air defense systems had intercepted two rockets fired from Gaza. 

Air-raid sirens sounded in southern Israel. There were no immediate reports of casualties. 

The IDF said its strikes targeted sites linked to Hamas, the Islamist militant group controlling Gaza. Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by Germany, the US, the EU and some Arab states. 

The AFP news agency reported, citing security sources in Gaza, that 15 strikes targeted militant sites in the enclave. No injuries were reported. 

Another three rockets were fired from Gaza after the Israeli strikes, the IDF said. One of the rockets fell in an open area and another fell inside Gaza, according to the IDF. 

What happened in the West Bank?

On Thursday, the IDF said it carried out an operation in the Jenin refugee camp to arrest members of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a terrorist organization, who were planning an imminent attack, according to the Israeli military. Jenin is considered a stronghold of Palestinian militants.

According to the IDF, PIJ members opened fire and were killed in a shootout with Israeli forces. 

After the raid, the PIJ and Hamas vowed retaliation.

After the raid, the PIJ and Hamas vowed retaliation. On Friday, the terrorist PIJ claimed responsibility for the attack, the Reuters news agency reported, citing Khaled Al-Batsh, one of the movement's leaders. 

The latest tension comes days before an anticipated visit to Israel and the West Bank by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. 

fb/rt (AFP, AP, Reuters)