2 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Strikes on Gaza

Posted June 23rd, 2012 at 5:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Israel's military said Saturday it carried out a series of airstrike in the Gaza Strip, ruled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, in response to more than 20 Palestinians rockets that crashed into Israel Saturday.

One of the rockets, which brought the week's total to 150, injured an Israeli man in the town of Sderot.

Palestinian medical officials said the Israeli strikes killed two Palestinians and wounded at least 24 others. Officials said one of the dead is a six-year-old boy. Israel confirmed it struck multiple targets in Gaza but denied involvement in the child's death.

The violence erupted Monday when gunmen from Sinai killed an Israeli civilian in an ambush along Israel's southern border with Egypt. Two gunmen were also killed in the attack, claimed by a militant Islamic group.

In response to the violence, Hamas threatened to break its three-day old Egyptian-brokered truce with Israel that had temporarily calmed violence.

The Israeli government has signaled it does not want an escalation of violence in Gaza, but it also said rocket attacks on Israeli civilians will not be tolerated and will be met with a “painful response.”