Gaza groups warn Israel over attacks on civilian homes

By Nour Abu Aisha

GAZA CITY, Palestine

Palestinian resistance factions on Tuesday warned Israel against attacking civilian facilities in the blockaded Gaza Strip.

"The bombing of civilian buildings will not stop the resistance,” Islamic Jihad group said in a statement.

It underlined its preparedness to respond to Israeli attacks in the seaside territory.

“The Israeli bombardment of residential buildings would be a continuation of aggression and a use of American weapons for terrorism,” the group said.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas group, also said the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon would be a target of rocket fire in response to Israeli attacks on civilian buildings in Gaza.

“Rocket fire would also target the cities of Ashdod and Beersheba in case Israel continued its attacks on civilian buildings in Gaza,” group spokesman Abo Obaida said on Twitter.

Five Palestinians were martyred in renewed Israeli attacks in Gaza on Tuesday and Monday following rocket fire from the seaside territory. The Israeli army said more than 20 people were injured by rocket fire.

Monday’s attacks came one day after seven Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in an undercover Israeli operation in the blockaded enclave.

Since March, more than 200 Palestinians have been martyred and thousands more injured by Israeli army fire during protests demanding the right of Palestinian refugees to return to their ancestral home in what is now Israel.