A trail of smoke from rockets fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza toward Israel is seen above Gaza City on Wednesday, March 12, 2014. Israeli warplanes pounded 29 Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip Thursday night in response to heavy Palestinian rocket fire into the Jewish state earlier, the military said. AP
GAZA CITY鈥擨sraeli warplanes pounded 29 Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip Thursday night in response to heavy Palestinian rocket fire into the Jewish state earlier, the military said.
Palestinian eyewitnesses, including an AFP photographer, said warplanes hit bases of the strip鈥檚 Hamas rulers and the armed wing of Islamic Jihad, the Al-Quds Brigades, which had claimed responsiblity for firing dozens of rockets into Israel.
鈥淚n today鈥檚 attack 41 rockets struck in Israel, (of which) five hit populated areas,鈥� an army statement said.
鈥淚n response to the massive rocket attack that hit Israel earlier this evening, the Israel Air Force targeted 29 terror sites in the Gaza Strip. Direct hits were confirmed,鈥� it said.
鈥淭his retaliation was precise and prompt. We targeted the infrastructure that serves the terrorists while they train, plan and implement their hideous attacks,鈥� it quoted Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner, the chief military spokesman, as saying.
鈥淭hey will not be permitted to conspire in the safety of their terrorist temples.鈥�
Al Quds said it fired 90 rockets at Israel in response to an air strike on Tuesday that killed three of its militants in southern Gaza.
An Israeli security source told AFP that the tally was more than 60 rockets and mortar rounds.
The militant strikes, which sent tens of thousands of Israeli in the south to seek shelter, were the biggest wave of attacks since a major eight-day November 2012 confrontation between Israel and Hamas.
No casualties
There were no immediate reports of casualties on either side Wednesday.
Hamas personnel, including its military wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, had earlier evacuated all their bases, Gaza security sources said.
The earlier Al-Quds barrage, which Israel said came from several sites, prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn of a tough response.
The escalation in violence came just hours after British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived on his first official visit to the region since taking office in 2010.
Police raised the level of alert in the south, saying the rockets struck along the length of Israel鈥檚 border with Gaza.
One hit near a public library in the town of Sderot, and another near a petrol station.
The attack began shortly after Netanyahu and Cameron addressed parliament, and prompted a stern warning from the Israeli leader, who pledged to act 鈥渨ith great force鈥� against those seeking to harm Israel, a statement from his office said.
鈥淲e will continue to strike those who want to harm us; we鈥檒l act against them very forcefully,鈥� he was quoted as saying in a separate statement communicated by his spokesman Ofir Gendelman.
Netanyahu warning
Later, Netanyahu warned those in Gaza again.
鈥淚f there won鈥檛 be quiet in the south (of Israel) there will be noise in Gaza, and this is an understatement,鈥� he said, in remarks relayed by his office.
Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon ordered the closure from Thursday of the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza and the Erez pedestrian crossing 鈥渦ntil further security assessments,鈥� a military statement said.
鈥淭his is the biggest attack on Israel since the 2012 Operation Pillar of Defence,鈥� the military said on Twitter, referring to the 2012 confrontation that claimed the lives of 177 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and six Israelis.
鈥楻eoccupation鈥� of Gaza
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel would have no choice but to reoccupy Gaza, from which it withdrew all troops and settlers in summer 2005.
鈥淔ollowing an attack like this鈥攁 barrage of more than 50 rockets鈥攖here is no alternative to a full reoccupation of the entire Gaza Strip,鈥� he told private Channel 2 television.
In Gaza, Islamic Jihad鈥檚 armed wing the Al-Quds Brigades issued a statement saying its bombardment would continue in response to Israel鈥檚 鈥渁ggression鈥� in Tuesday鈥檚 air strike.
Hamas warned Israel against escalating the confrontation.
鈥淲e hold the occupation responsible, we warn of the consequences of any escalation and we reiterate that resistance is the right of the Palestinian people to defend itself,鈥� said Ihab al-Ghassin, a spokesman for the Islamist movement Hamas, which governs Gaza.