UPDATE 2 - Hamas' armed wing strikes Israeli cities of Ashkelon, Netivot, Sderot

ADDS DETAILS, CHANGES DECK

By Hacer Baser and Zein Khalil

GAZA CITY / JERUSALEM, Palestine (AA) - Palestinian resistance group Hamas fired a volley of rockets into southern Israel on Wednesday in response to continued Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Ezzeddin al-Qassam Brigades, the group’s military wing, said in a statement that it targeted the cities of Ashkelon, Netivot, and Sderot with 130 rockets in response to Israel’s destruction of the 14-story Al-Shorouk Tower in Gaza.

Seven Israelis on Wednesday evening also sustained injuries after a rocket attack from Gaza hit Sderot.

The Magen David Adom Israeli ambulance service said in a statement that it took the Israelis to Barzilai hospital for treatment in nearby Ashkelon.

It also said one of the injured is in critical condition, with two in moderate condition and four with slight injuries.

To date six Israelis have been killed in the recent violence – five of them in rocket attacks – in addition to one soldier killed when his military vehicle was struck.

Israel continues to target Gaza with heavy bombardment, bringing the death toll among Palestinians to 65 along with 365 injured, in addition to heavy damage to residential areas across Gaza.

Tensions have been running high since an Israeli court last week ordered the eviction of Palestinian families from the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and in 1980 annexed the entire city, in a move that has never been recognized by the international community.

* Ahmed Asmar and Zehra Nur Duz contributed to this report from Ankara.