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A rocket fired from Gaza has hit Israel shortly after Israeli jets bombed the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
The Qassam rocket struck the western Negev region on Wednesday morning, causing no casualties, the Israeli media reported.
The Qassam rocket struck the western Negev region on Wednesday morning, causing no casualties, the Israeli media reported.
The attack came shortly after Israeli warplanes pounded Gaza's border with Egypt.
The Israeli Army said that the airstrikes were carried out against "Hamas's tunnels" in response to a Tuesday remote-control bomb attack along the Gaza border that killed one Israeli soldier.
The cross-border tunnels along Rafah have been used by Palestinian to import food, medicines and other vital supplies as the populated costal region is struggling with months of the Israeli siege.
The Israeli Army said that the airstrikes were carried out against "Hamas's tunnels" in response to a Tuesday remote-control bomb attack along the Gaza border that killed one Israeli soldier.
The cross-border tunnels along Rafah have been used by Palestinian to import food, medicines and other vital supplies as the populated costal region is struggling with months of the Israeli siege.
On Tuesday, a bomb blast along the Israel-Gaza border killed an Israel soldier and wounded three others. Following the attack Israeli forces killed a Palestinian farmer near the Kissufim crossing on the Gaza Strip border.
The retaliatory attacks come as the Israeli security cabinet are expected to discuss the airstrikes on Wednesday in a meeting in al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The cabinet meeting will be held as new US Middle East envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel on the second leg of his regional tour.
Israeli outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has reportedly suggested that Israel had further plans to attack Gaza.
"The army's reaction today was only operational. This was not the response to the killing of a soldier and wounding of three others. Israel's response shall come," a senior government official quoted Olmert as saying.
Tel Aviv waged "all-out war" against the Gaza Strip on December 27 allegedly to stop rocket attacks on Israeli targets.
Hamas announced an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on January 18 after Israel declared a unilateral truce.
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak had threatened to launch a new strike on the besieged strip.
The retaliatory attacks come as the Israeli security cabinet are expected to discuss the airstrikes on Wednesday in a meeting in al-Quds (Jerusalem).
The cabinet meeting will be held as new US Middle East envoy George Mitchell arrived in Israel on the second leg of his regional tour.
Israeli outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has reportedly suggested that Israel had further plans to attack Gaza.
"The army's reaction today was only operational. This was not the response to the killing of a soldier and wounding of three others. Israel's response shall come," a senior government official quoted Olmert as saying.
Tel Aviv waged "all-out war" against the Gaza Strip on December 27 allegedly to stop rocket attacks on Israeli targets.
Hamas announced an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip on January 18 after Israel declared a unilateral truce.
Earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak had threatened to launch a new strike on the besieged strip.
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