Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushed back to Israel yesterday following a sudden burst of fighting the previous night that left in doubt efforts to bring to an end months of relentless violence between Israel and Hamas.
Israeli forces on Sunday killed seven Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in airstrikes and an undercover raid, which 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 defences intercepted two of the launches. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage on the Israeli side of the frontier.
The violence prompted Mr Netanyahu to cut short a visit to Paris, where he had gathered with world leaders for the 100th anniversary of World War I armistice.
Hamas said the incident on Sunday began when Israeli special forces in a civilian car opened fire on a group of its armed men, killing one of its commanders at Khan Yunis, 3km from the border with Israel. Hamas gunmen gave chase as the car sped back towards the border. 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 local Hamas commander Nour Baraka. It was unclear if the other fatalities included gunmen.
Read the article in The Australian (AAP).