GAZA CITY (Palestinian Territories), Oct 8: Gaza’s ruling Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad group on Monday fired a barrage of projectiles at Israel, a day after a targeted Israeli air strike on the Palestinian enclave.

“In response to the injury of civilians in the most recent strike on Rafah, the Qassam Brigades and the Al-Quds Brigades fired a number of rockets at enemy military positions,” Hamas’s Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades armed wing said, teaming up with the Al-Quds Brigades of the Islamic Jihad.

“This blessed operation came in response to continuous and repeated enemy crimes against our defenceless people,” it said, in what was the first time since June that Hamas has taken responsibility for rockets fired into Israel.

“The launches this morning are a message to the Zionist enemy that resistance will not restrain itself in the face of any unilateral aggression by the occupation (Israel),” said Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Qassam Brigades.—AFP