JERUSALEM — The fragile six-month cease-fire between Israel and Gaza was shaken overnight Monday as militants from the Palestinian coastal enclave fired at least six rockets against southern Israel and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes against what it said were weapons storage facilities and a rocket launch site in the southern Gaza Strip.
The rockets landed in open areas, causing no damage or injury, according to a police spokesman, and there were no reports of injuries in Gaza. The military said that two of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
The clash, which began late Sunday and broke several weeks of relative calm along the Israel-Gaza border, may have been set off by an internal dispute in Gaza between Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls the coastal territory, and the extremist Islamic Jihad group, one of whose members was killed when Hamas police came to arrest him. There was no immediate indication that it would spiral into a broader confrontation with Israel.
The Islamic Jihad militant who was killed, Raed Jundiyeh, was wanted by Hamas in connection with the kidnapping of a Gaza resident. He was also apparently wanted by Israel for his role in rocket attacks. Mr. Jundiyeh was shot in the head on Saturday after he apparently resisted arrest and he died on Sunday. Islamic Jihad militants then blamed Hamas militants for causing more tension at the funeral, raising the possibility that the rocket attacks against Israel were meant as some kind of payback.
Hamas has worked to preserve the cease-fire with Israel, despite some sporadic rocket fire over the last few months, and a number of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli fire along the borders. By Monday, it appeared that the rocket fire may have been a local initiative by friends of Mr. Jundiyeh. Islamic Jihad said that it remained formally committed to the cease-fire with Israel.
One of the sites targeted by the Israeli military was an Islamic Jihad training ground.
But Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the military, said in a statement that the rocket attacks were “an intolerable act of aggression against Israel and its civilians,” and that “Hamas is held accountable for all acts of terrorism deriving from the Gaza Strip.”
In addition, Israel announced that the commercial cargo crossing between Israel and Gaza would be closed until further notice as a result of the rocket fire.
Fares Akram contributed reporting from Gaza.
The rockets landed in open areas, causing no damage or injury, according to a police spokesman, and there were no reports of injuries in Gaza. The military said that two of the rockets were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system.
The clash, which began late Sunday and broke several weeks of relative calm along the Israel-Gaza border, may have been set off by an internal dispute in Gaza between Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls the coastal territory, and the extremist Islamic Jihad group, one of whose members was killed when Hamas police came to arrest him. There was no immediate indication that it would spiral into a broader confrontation with Israel.
The Islamic Jihad militant who was killed, Raed Jundiyeh, was wanted by Hamas in connection with the kidnapping of a Gaza resident. He was also apparently wanted by Israel for his role in rocket attacks. Mr. Jundiyeh was shot in the head on Saturday after he apparently resisted arrest and he died on Sunday. Islamic Jihad militants then blamed Hamas militants for causing more tension at the funeral, raising the possibility that the rocket attacks against Israel were meant as some kind of payback.
Hamas has worked to preserve the cease-fire with Israel, despite some sporadic rocket fire over the last few months, and a number of Palestinians who have been killed by Israeli fire along the borders. By Monday, it appeared that the rocket fire may have been a local initiative by friends of Mr. Jundiyeh. Islamic Jihad said that it remained formally committed to the cease-fire with Israel.
One of the sites targeted by the Israeli military was an Islamic Jihad training ground.
But Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a spokesman for the military, said in a statement that the rocket attacks were “an intolerable act of aggression against Israel and its civilians,” and that “Hamas is held accountable for all acts of terrorism deriving from the Gaza Strip.”
In addition, Israel announced that the commercial cargo crossing between Israel and Gaza would be closed until further notice as a result of the rocket fire.
Fares Akram contributed reporting from Gaza.