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AFP
Gaza City
Israeli warplanes struck the Gaza Strip on Wednesday after the first rocket fire from the Palestinian territory in weeks hit an Israeli city, in a blow to efforts to avert a new war.
Gaza's Islamist rulers Hamas disavowed the rocket fire, saying they rejected"all irresponsible attempts"to undermine Egyptian efforts to broker a new long-term truce.
But Israel, which holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from the territory regardless of who launches it, struck 20 targets in Gaza, killing one Palestinian, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. Israel also closed both its border crossings with Gaza in reprisal, further isolating the blockaded enclave where deteriorating living conditions have stoked violent protests along the border.
Gaza militants fired two rockets before dawn, one of which caused major damage to a family home in the southern city of Beersheba, 40 kilometres (25 miles) away, the Israeli army said. The family of three children narrowly escaped injury after their mother moved them into the safe room.
