Israel carries out airstrikes on Gaza after Palestinian rocket fire

Powerful explosions shook buildings and lit up the night sky over the Gaza Strip

Israeli aircraft have stuck Gaza in response to Palestinian rocket fire, the latest clash in days of violence.

The military said its air strikes targeted rocket and weapon production sites used by Hamas, the Islamist militant group that controls the blockaded strip, in response to Israeli air defences having intercepted a rocket from Gaza late on Wednesday.

No Palestinian groups claimed Wednesday's rocket fire. An unverified video circulating on social media appeared to show three rockets before launch, one of which said "female prisoners are a red line".

Powerful explosions shook buildings and lit up the night sky over Gaza as warning sirens sounded in Israeli towns and villages around the strip warning of incoming rocket fire before dawn on Thursday.

The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) said it had fired some of the rockets in response to the air strikes and the "systematic aggression" against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

With no reports of serious casualties, the exchange followed a familiar pattern that signalled neither side was seeking a wider conflict.

The fire exchange underlined the tensions between Israel and the Palestinians after a Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people near a synagogue on the outskirts of Jerusalem and an Israeli raid in the West Bank killed 10 Palestinians, including eight militants.

Last year was the deadliest in more than a decade in the West Bank, with violence steadily escalating following a spate of lethal Palestinian attacks in Israel, which drew stepped-up Israeli raids against gunmen.

The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had urged calm on wrapping up a visit to the region earlier this week, during which he reaffirmed Washington's support for a two-state solution to the decades-long conflict.

The top US diplomat for the Middle East, Barbara Leaf, and U.S. special representative for Palestinian affairs, Hady Amr, remained behind to continue de-escalation talks between the sides and are due to meet Palestinian officials on Thursday.

In a tweet sent after Wednesday's rocket launch, Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who oversees prisons, said he would push ahead with plans to toughen conditions for Palestinian prisoners.

The strikes come a day after the human rights group, Amnesty International, released a report on the occupied Palestinian territories, which it says highlights "Israel’s intent to create and maintain a system of oppression and domination over Palestinians".

Reuters