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The Israeli military has said Palestinian militants fired six rockets from the Gaza Strip towards Israel’s south, hours after an Israeli army raid in the occupied West Bank that killed 11.
The rocket attacks early on Thursday morning were not immediately claimed by Palestinian militant groups, but appeared to be triggered by the raid in Nablus in which 11 Palestinians were killed.
Israel’s air defences intercepted five of the rockets, which were fired towards the cities of Ashkelon and Sderot, the military said, and one missile landed in an open field. There were no reports of damage or casualties.
A teenager was among the dead in the Wednesday morning operation, which targeted three militants who were near the centre of the old city of Nablus. All three wanted men were killed along with seven others, including a 72-year-old man. Palestinian officials said at least 103 people were injured, with many of them sustaining gunshot wounds.
The raid was one of the biggest of the past year, during which the situation in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem has steadily worsened. A similar raid in January was followed by a Palestinian militant attack near an East Jerusalem synagogue that killed seven Israelis.
On Wednesday, US state department spokesperson Ned Price told a regular press briefing that Washington recognised Israel’s security concerns but was deeply concerned by the large number of injuries and loss of civilian life.
The violence comes at a critical juncture in ties between Israel and the Palestinians, with the new Israeli government dominated by ultranationalists who have vowed a hard line against militants, while at the same time pushing for an expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Associated Press contributed to this piece
English (US)