Israel's Gaza Bombing In Retaliation For Week-End Rocket Attacks, Hamas Members Died In Arrest In The West Bank

Illustration of Israeli fighter jets. (Wikimedia Commons/Amit Agronov/IDF Spokesperson's Unit)

JAKARTA - Israel launched an attack on the Gaza Strip, following rocket launches at the weekend, and killed a member of the Hamas group during an arrest in the West Bank on Monday.

The West Bank has witnessed months of boiling violence amid a stalemate in Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, raising fears among foreign mediators over the possibility of spreading to Gaza, where the ruling Hamas group has been holding back their fire since the May 2021 war.

The Israeli army said troops entered the Nablus, among the clashes in the northern West Bank which had been the focus of its recent attacks, to detain insurgents. The soldiers exchanged fire with gunmen during the raid, he said.

The independent militant group Den of Lions said it had ambushed troops. Meanwhile, Palestinian medical officials said a 21-year-old man was killed.

Hamas claims he is a member, without saying whether he participated in the fighting. Meanwhile, there were no casualties on the part of Israel.

In Gaza, airstrikes hit what the Israeli military (IDF) claims is the manufacture of Hamas underground rockets, calling this a response to the launch of a cross-border rocket from Gaza that was shot down by the Iron Dome air defense system on Saturday.

Using fighter jets, the IDF said targeted facilities produce raw materials for rocket manufacturing and are run by the Hamas terror group.

"The attack was a serious blow to Hamas' ability to fortify and arm himself," the IDF said in a statement, citing The Times of Israel.

Palestinians have denied Israeli accusations about the site being attacked in Gaza, saying it was a beachside welcome room.

Shortly after the military confirmed the attack, warning sirens of rockets were fired in the southern Israeli community near the Gaza Strip, including Sderot and Kibbutz Nir Am. The warning was also heard in Kibbutz Ruhama, about 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) east of Sderot.

The IDF said four anti-aircraft missiles were fired at Israeli jets and Israeli territory, three of which exploded in the air. The fourth projectile exploded in an open field, causing no injuries or damage.

Israel considers Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, responsible for any attacks originating from the area, regardless of whether the group is behind it.