UPDATE – Palestinian martyred in Israeli raid in Gaza

Israel says raids came in response to rocket fire from Gaza

UPDATES WITH PALESTINIAN REACTIONS

By Hani al-Shaer

GAZA CITY, Palestine (AA) – A Palestinian youth was martyred in an Israeli raid on the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.

Ahmed al-Shahri, 27, died of wounds he sustained from the raid that targeted Khan Younis city in the southern Gaza Strip, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qidra said in a statement.

Two other people were injured in the attack, the spokesman said.

The Israeli army said it had struck a number of targets belonging to Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza after rocket fire from the Palestinian territory.

No Palestinian group has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire.

Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, described the Israeli attacks as a "dangerous escalation against civilians in Gaza".

"The Israeli assaults that targeted several resistance sites reflect [Israel's] intentions of destruction and sabotage," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said in a statement.

Islamic Jihad group, for its part, accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of "escalating aggression on Gaza to cover up his failures ".

Kaynak: