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Israel military says rocket attack on Israel "a severe incident"
From:Xinhua  |  2018-10-17 17:39

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JERUSALEM, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israel's military spokesperson said Wednesday that the army sees the firing of two rockets at Israel earlier in the morning "a severe incident."

Gaza militants fired one rocket to Beersheba and another to Gush Dan, in central Israel, which landed at sea, said Jonathan Conricus, head of international media branch at the military's spokesperson's unit.

The mid-range rockets are in possession by only two organizations in Gaza who have the specific parts of the rockets -- Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, he said, adding that it "very much narrows it down to who is behind it."

Hamas, the Palestinian group that runs Gaza, and the Islamic Jihad condemned the fire, saying it harms the Egyptian efforts to achieve a cease-fire agreement that will lift the Israeli and Egyptian blockade imposed on Gaza, according to local media reports.

The armed groups in Gaza also informed an Egyptian delegation of intelligence officers that they are not interested in escalation but are ready to respond if Israel continues its attacks.

Conricus said Israel holds Hamas accountable for the fire even if the group did not launch the rockets.

"Hamas bares full responsibility for this attack," he said, adding that Hamas is "creating and enabling an environment of terror and violence along the security fence as we have seen over the last months."

He referred to weekly protests, mostly on Mondays and on Fridays, during which explosive devices are hurled toward Israeli soldiers and Palestinians attempted to cross into Israel through the fence.

Live Israeli fire have killed at least 205 Palestinians during the rallies, which started on March 30.

He said that the Israeli Air Force responded with air strikes against approximately 20 military targets in Gaza.

Israeli military aircraft also attacked a group of Palestinians who attempted to launch a rocket near the fence from in the northern Gaza Strip, Conricus said.

At least one person was killed in the Israeli attacks and several were injured.

"We are ready and prepared for different scenarios wherever the situation will take us," he said.

The recent flare up came as Egypt and the United Nations are trying to broker a long-term agreement between Israel and Hamas.

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