Israel bombs Hamas facility in Gaza following rocket fire

Israeli aircraft struck a Hamas military site in the Gaza Strip early Saturday in retaliation for a rocket fired at southern Israel the day before.

This is the first Israeli air strike on the coastal enclave since a 50-day war ended in August.

Palestinian media reported that missiles were fired at a training facility in the area of Khan Yunis in southern Gaza. No injuries have been reported.

The Israeli military issued a statement saying that aircraft attacked Hamas "terror infrastructure" in southern Gaza in response to rocket fire earlier in the day, with pilots reporting a direct hit.

Lt. Col. Peter Lerner, a military spokesperson, said, "The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will not permit any attempt to undermine the security and jeopardize the well-being of Israeli civilians. The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible and accountable for today's attack against Israel."

The Israeli strikes came after a rocket, the third launched from Gaza since a cease-fire came into effect on Aug. 26, exploded in an open area near the border fence shortly before noon on Friday, causing no injuries or damage. Air raid sirens sounded in Israeli communities in the vicinity shortly before the projectile fell, alerting residents to seek cover.

Two rockets, launched at Israel on Nov. 1 and Sept. 16 respectively, exploded in fields near the border and caused no injuries. Following the first attack, Hamas arrested the members of a militant group. Israel did not respond to those attacks.

No group in Gaza has claimed responsibility for Friday's attack, which came after a European Union court on Wednesday ruled to remove Hamas from the bloc's list of terror organizations.

Danny Danon, a Likud lawmaker and former Israeli deputy defense minister, said the incident served as a proof to Europe that Hamas, which wrested control of Gaza in 2007, "is a terrorist organization."

"If anyone doubted this, then they received the answer now," he said.

Haim Yelin, the head of a local council of southern Israeli border communities that were battered by numerous rockets in July and August, said that diplomacy was the only way to end the rocket attacks that have been targeting Israel for more than a decade.

"Whoever thinks that military deterrence is the route to peace and quiet for the Gaza bordering regions doesn't understand that wars are won by diplomats," the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz quoted Yelin as saying.

He said that following the latest war, the Israeli government had a unique opportunity to bring about a long-term settlement. "Instead, we find ourselves with a ticking clock until the next escalation and war."