GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli forces killed seven Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Sunday in air strikes and an undercover raid that Hamas said targeted one of its commanders and the Israeli military said left one of its officers dead.

The Israeli incursion and air attacks drew rocket fire from the Hamas-controlled enclave, with sirens sounding in Israeli communities along the border. The military said its defenses intercepted two of the launches. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage on the Israeli side of the frontier.

The violence prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Paris, where he had been gathering with world leaders for a World War One commemoration.

Hamas said the incident began when assailants in a passing car opened fire on a group of its armed men, killing one of its commanders. Hamas gunmen gave chase as the car sped back towards the border with Israel, Hamas said in a statement.

During the pursuit, Israeli aircraft fired more than 40 missiles in the area, according to witnesses.

Medics and Hamas officials said at least seven people were killed, four of them militants, including Hamas commander Nour Baraka. It was unclear if the other fatalities included gunmen.

The Israeli military said in a statement that: “During an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Special Forces operational activity in the Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire evolved.”

One officer was killed and a second was wounded, it said.

A return by Israel to a policy of targeting individual Hamas commanders - tactics largely abandoned in recent years - could significantly raise tensions along the border.

Violence has flared frequently on the frontier since Palestinians began weekly protests on March 30. Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations have been trying to broker a long-term ceasefire. </s> Israel‘s army is warning of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip after a Hamas commander allegedly was killed in a Gaza raid that also left one Israeli officer dead.

READ MORE: Israel allegedly kills Hamas commander, 5 others in planned Gaza raid

IDF tweeted Sunday that an IDF officer was killed and an additional IDF officer was “moderately injured” after fire broke out in a special forces’ “operational activity.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cut his trip to Paris for World War I commemorations short to return to Israel after the violence erupted along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, a spokesperson said.

At least seven Palestinians were killed by Israeli forces on Sunday in the Gaza Strip, medics and sources within the enclave’s dominant Hamas group said. Four of them were militants, including Hamas commander Nour Baraka, according to Hamas. It was unclear if the other fatalities included gunmen.

Hamas said the incident began when assailants in a passing car opened fire on a group of its armed men, killing one of its commanders. Hamas gunmen gave chase as the car sped back towards the border with Israel, Hamas said in a statement.

During the pursuit, Israeli aircraft fired more than 40 missiles

The Israeli military said in a statement that: “During an IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Special Forces operational activity in the Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire evolved.”

The military also said its defenses intercepted two missile launches from the Gaza Strip. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage on the Israeli side of the frontier.

IDF has sent eight identical “Rocket Alerts” on Twitter for the area of Eshkol near the Gaza Strip with a population of 13,600. The alerts say “sirens sounded in the Eshkol Regional Council. Details to follow.”

-More to come </s> JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli shelling of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed a Palestinian militant and wounded four others shortly after an Israeli soldier was shot on the border of the coastal enclave, authorities said. Following the incident, Israel said it would halt a key transfer of Qatari funds to the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said that an officer was lightly wounded after a bullet hit his helmet "during a riot in the southern Gaza Strip" and that Israeli tanks fired at a Hamas militant position in response.

The Gaza health ministry confirmed that the shelling killed a 24-year-old man and injured four people, one seriously.

Mahmoud al-Nabahin was a member of Hamas' armed wing known as the Qassam Brigades, the group said in a statement.

Later Tuesday, Israeli aircraft carried out multiple strikes on a Hamas military site in northern Gaza Strip, saying the Islamic group bears responsibility for violence emanating from the territory, Israel's military said in a statement. There were no reports of casualties.

The violence escalated tensions at a sensitive time for both Gaza's Hamas rulers and Israel.

A senior Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to halt Wednesday's planned transfer of $15 million in Qatari funds for Hamas to pay salaries for civil servants. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

Netanyahu has previously stipulated that the cash injection was contingent upon calm along the Gaza border.

For months, Hamas has held weekly protests along several sections of the Gaza-Israel perimeter fence, driven largely by economic hardship caused by the 11-year Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza.

Qatar, a go-between for Hamas and Israel, is trying to mitigate the crisis in Gaza and consequently quieting the protests to prevent an all-out war between Gaza militants and Israel.

Since they were launched in March, more than 185 Palestinians were killed in the demonstrations. An Israeli soldier was shot dead in July by a Gaza sniper.

Associated Press writer Ilan Ben Zion reported this story in Jerusalem and AP writer Fares Akram reported from Gaza. </s> For the second time in two days soldiers opened fire on armed militants, defence forces say

This article is more than 4 weeks old

This article is more than 4 weeks old

Israeli soldiers fired at a Palestinian militant on the Gaza border on Sunday, the military said, and a Palestinian medic said the man was killed.

It was the second such incident since Saturday when Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians who attempted to cross the volatile border.

“IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops spotted an armed terrorist approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorist opened fire towards the troops,” the military said of the second incident.

The soldiers returned fire and an Israeli tank fired at a post belonging to Hamas, the Islamist armed group that rules Gaza.

The IDF said no Israelis were hurt.

In a post on Twitter on Saturday, the IDF said the four men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at their troops. “Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire.”

Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night.



Their (unfulfilled) objective: murdering Israelis. pic.twitter.com/sQbMPK59sX

There was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or from militant groups in the territory.

Gaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities. </s> Israeli aircraft and tanks hit targets across the Gaza Strip Friday after shots were fired at troops on the border, the army said, with Hamas reporting three members of its military wing killed.

A fourth Palestinian was shot dead during protests along the frontier with Israel, Gaza's health ministry said.

The flare-up is the latest in months of tensions that have ratcheted up fears of a wider conflict between Israel and Gaza's rulers Hamas, who have fought three wars since 2008.

An Israeli army statement said shots were fired at troops during renewed protests along the Gaza-Israel frontier and "in response... aircraft and tanks targeted military targets throughout the Gaza Strip."

It did not say if any Israeli soldiers were hurt in the shooting.

Two Palestinians were killed in a strike east of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza, the health ministry in the enclave said.

A third man was killed by Israeli fire east of Rafah, also in southern Gaza, the ministry said.

The military wing of Islamist group Hamas named the three men as Shaban abu Khatar, Mohammed abu Farhana and Mahmoud Qushta, saying they were fighters.

Israel's military said its aircraft and tanks had targeted "eight military posts" belonging to Hamas.

A fourth man named as Mohammed Badwan was later shot dead by Israeli forces during protests along the border, Gaza's health ministry said.

Israeli media reported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was receiving an emergency briefing from the army on the situation.

Last weekend saw the most severe exchange of fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since a 2014 war, raising worries of another round of conflict.

Israel hit dozens of sites it said belonged to militants in the Gaza Strip in Saturday's strikes, killing two Palestinian teenagers.

The same day, around 200 rockets and mortars were fired at Israel from Gaza and four Israelis were wounded when a rocket hit a house in the nearby Israeli city of Sderot.

Since protests broke out on March 30, at least 149 Palestinians have been killed.

Most were shot during demonstrations and clashes along the border, but others were killed in air strikes or by tank fire.

No Israelis have been killed.

For more than a week, Israel has been hardening its response to kites and incendiary balloons launched from Gaza, which authorities say have set ablaze more than 2,600 hectares on Israeli territory.

In recent days, the Israeli army has opened fire at groups launching such devices.

Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has raised the threat of a large-scale operation in the Gaza Strip if Hamas does not stop the kites and balloons being launched.

Israeli television this week broadcast footage of army training manoeuvres for an incursion into the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu also conducted a tour along the border region for the first time since the start of the clashes.

Government officials such as Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan have called for systematic attacks on kite launchers.

Israel has also further tightened its blockade of Gaza by closing the only goods crossing, suspending oil and gas deliveries. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption Avigdor Lieberman said Israel was doing "serious damage to national security in the long term"

Israel's defence minister has resigned over the cabinet's decision to accept a ceasefire ending two days of fighting with Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Avigdor Lieberman denounced the move as "surrendering to terror".

He said his right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu party would leave the ruling coalition, which could lead to an early election.

Eight people were killed on Monday and Tuesday as militants fired 460 rockets towards Israel and Israeli forces bombed 160 targets in Gaza.

The ceasefire was largely holding on Wednesday and schools and businesses in southern Israel reopened after no rocket attacks were reported overnight.

However, Israel's military said it had shot at and captured a Palestinian man who tried to breach the Israel-Gaza border fence while hurling grenades.

Palestinian health officials later said a fisherman had been killed by Israeli fire in northern Gaza. The Israeli military said soldiers had shot the man because he was advancing towards the border fence.

What happened in the latest flare-up?

The fighting - the most intense since the 50-day war in 2014 - began after an Israeli special forces undercover operation in Gaza was exposed on Sunday, triggering clashes that left seven Palestinian militants and one Israeli soldier dead.

Late on Monday, militants launched a barrage of rockets and mortars at Israel.

Image copyright AFP Image caption A Palestinian man working in Israel was killed in a rocket attack on a southern Israeli town

One of the rockets hit a block of flats in the town of Ashkelon, killing a Palestinian man who was working in Israel.

In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carried out what it called a wide-scale attack against targets belonging to the militant groups Hamas, which dominates Gaza, and Islamic Jihad.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said seven people were killed in the strikes. Five of the dead were said to be militants and the other two farmers.

Image copyright AFP Image caption Israel targeted a building that housed Hamas's Al-Aqsa TV channel

Hamas and other Palestinian factions announced on Tuesday afternoon that they had accepted an Egyptian-mediated ceasefire and would abide by it if Israel did.

Israel's security cabinet initially said only that it was ordering the military to continue its operations as required, but Mr Lieberman and another minister appeared to confirm it had agreed to accept a ceasefire when they denied supporting it.

Why did Mr Lieberman resign?

At a news conference in Jerusalem on Wednesday, the defence minister said the military response to the rocket fire had been "insufficient and inappropriate".

Image copyright AFP Image caption About 100 of the 460 rockets fired from Gaza were intercepted by Israel's air defence system

He added that the government was making a serious mistake by accepting a ceasefire with Hamas and other militant groups that Israel, the US, EU and UK have designated as terrorist organisations.

"We are buying quiet for the short term at the price of serious damage to national security in the long term" he warned.

Mr Lieberman revealed he had similarly opposed recent decisions to allow into Gaza fuel for the territory's power plant and $15m (£12m) in cash from Qatar intended to fund the salaries of unpaid civil servants in the Hamas-run government.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Sderot residents protested against the ceasefire agreement on Tuesday night

"I could not remain [in office] and still be able to look residents of the south in the eyes," he added.

Dozens of residents of Israeli border communities protested after the ceasefire announcement at what they called the "lack of action by the Israeli government" to deal with the threat of Palestinian rocket attacks.

Mr Lieberman also announced that Yisrael Beiteinu would leave the ruling coalition and called on other parties to agree on an early date for a general election, which is not due until November 2019.

How significant is the resignation?

By Yolande Knell, BBC News, Jerusalem

This announcement by Mr Lieberman was expected.

He has been calling for tough Israeli military action against Hamas and has opposed ongoing efforts by Egypt and the UN to secure a long-term ceasefire deal that would quieten the Israel-Gaza border.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faces criticism in Israel for accepting a ceasefire

His hawkish stance as defence minister has often left him at odds with the military top brass.

But it plays out well with the voter base of his political party.

The decision to withdraw Yisrael Beiteinu from the coalition government weakens Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who now controls just 61 of 120 parliamentary seats.

However, an official close to Mr Netanyahu told the BBC it was "not necessary to go to elections in this sensitive security period". He added that the prime minister would now take over the defence ministry.

What has been the reaction?

Mr Netanyahu's office said he was holding consultations with ministers from his right-wing Likud party and other party leaders in effort to stabilise his coalition.

Earlier, the prime minister defended the ceasefire decision, saying that "in times of emergency, when making decisions crucial to security, the public can't always be privy to the considerations that must be hidden from the enemy".

"Our enemies begged for a ceasefire and they knew very well why," he added.

Opposition leader Tzipi Livni of the centre-left Zionist Union alliance demanded an early general election.

"The government of failure in security must go," she said. "No peace, no security - elections now that will lead to an emergency coalition headed by the Zionist Union. We will restore security and act for peace."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Mr Lieberman's resignation was "recognition of the defeat before the growing force of Palestinian resistance". </s> Israeli Defense Forces killed at least five civilians and a commander from the Palestinian resistance group Hamas in the illegally blockaded Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian health officials said.

Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said six Palestinians were killed. One of the dead was a local commander for Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, a local hospital reported.

Six others were wounded.

Palestinian security sources said the clash occurred east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

Gaza officials said a group of Hamas members was fired at from a passing car. Local witnesses also said Israeli planes fired over 20 missiles into open areas in the area where the incident took place.

The Israeli military said in a brief statement that: "During IDF (Israel Defense Forces) operational activity in the Gaza Strip, an exchange of fire evolved."

Sunday's exchange of fire came as Israel and Hamas appeared to be making progress toward an unofficial cease-fire.

Israel last week allowed Qatar to deliver $15 million to civil servants working under Hamas, while Hamas scaled back weekly demonstrations along the Israeli border.

It was not immediately clear what sparked Sunday's fighting. Shortly after the exchange of fire, air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel, indicating rocket fire from Gaza. </s> Gaza-based Hamas terrorists sent 300 rockets into Israel Monday, bringing about a major Israeli Defense Forces strike in Gaza.

Hamas “has crossed a red line,” said Israeli Maj. Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun, who said Israel would “continue to respond with an iron fist against all terrorist activity or rocket fire.”

Israel said it intercepted 70 of the rockets.

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The full extent of Israeli casualties was unclear early Tuesday. The Jerusalem Post indicated in a running summary of the attacks and the Israeli response that at least one man was killed and close to 100 were wounded, many from the community of Ashkelon.

Other accounts put the overall total number of injured between 10 and 20.

In what appeared to be a separate attack, a mortar shell hit a bus in which Israel Defense Force personnel had been riding. Six people were injured, including a 19-year-old who was listed in critical condition, Fox News reported.

The latest round of violence was triggered Sunday when a firefight broke out in Gaza between Israeli soldiers and Hamas fighters.

“The aim of the operation was not to abduct or to kill a Hamas operative,” said IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus. He said that once the Israeli force met trouble, it “acted swiftly, professionally, was able to defend itself, exfiltrate in a very professional manner, making sure that all soldiers got back to Israel, that none were left behind.”

Hamas, however, claimed that Israeli undercover troops slipped two miles into Gaza killed and killed Nour el-Deen Baraka, a commander of the group’s military wing. Five Hamas soldiers and one Israeli solder were killed Sunday.

Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group claimed responsibility for the rocket attacks, which began at sunset local time on Monday.

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In retaliation, Israel hit a wide range of targets, including the Al-Aqsa TV station. The BBC reported that three Palestinians were killed.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum called the attack on the station an act of “barbaric aggression,” according to The New York Times.

“It contributes to Hamas’ military actions, including by providing operational messaging to militants, directing and explicitly calling for terror activities against Israel, and providing guidance on how to carry out such terror activities,” the IDF said in a statement.

Israeli Cabinet minister Michael Oren said Israel “will do whatever it takes” to defend itself, according to U.S. News and World Report.

“We expect the world to stand with us,” he said.

The EU’s ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, begged for an end to “indiscriminate” rocket fire targeting civilians.

“Everyone must step back from the brink,” he said.

Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, called for the world body to condemn Hamas.

“After a day of rocket barrages, there is no room for any other definition of Hamas except that of terrorist organization. To the world it presents its civilians as victims, but then uses them as human shields,” Danon wrote.

“Israel cooperated with all international bodies, including the UN, but the aggressive escalation from Gaza indicates that there are elements pushing for another round of violence that will cause destruction and losses within the Gaza Strip,” he wrote.

We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards. </s> Four alleged Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli forces near the Gaza border fence, the military announced on Saturday.

Israel Defense Forces said the men were armed with grenades and assault rifles and that they had crossed the border from Gaza.

“We just identified a number of terrorists from Gaza approaching Israel, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers & grenades—one of which was thrown,” the force posted on its official Twitter account.

“Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire,” the statement added.

In a second post, the IDF published photographs of guns, ammunition and grenades laid on the ground and said: "These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night."

It added that their objective was "murdering Israelis".

The four dead were Abdulah al-Hamayda, Abdulah al-Ghamri, Abdulah al-Masri and Ahmad al-Odeini, security sources inside the Gaza Strip told Efe.

They were all in their early 20s and members of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the sources added.

No group has claimed responsibility for the alleged attempt and no official statement has been issued on the matter.

The Israeli military took the bodies of the four Palestinians and confiscated the weapons they were carrying, according to Palestinian sources.

A similar incident that took place 10 days ago left three Israeli soldiers wounded after Hamas militia managed to enter Israel and opened fire at before being shot dead.

The unrest between Gaza and Israel has escalated since Gaza border protests rallies began in March 2018.

Hundreds and sometimes thousands of Palestinians have been taking to the streets every week in front of the fence to call for refugees’ right to return and lifting the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took charge of the Strip.

Since then, many incidents have taken place in the area, which left at least 307 Palestinians dead as they were shot by Israeli forces during protests and incidents. EFE-EPA
The Israel Defense Forces engage in a gunfight with Hamas' military wing after an Israeli soldier is killed by a Palestinian sniper; four Hamas members are killed. Israel responds to the incident with strikes on Hamas targets across Gaza.