Israel killed one Hamas gunman in its second round of air strikes in as many days on the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, responding to rocket fire at its southern towns that wounded three people.
Separate raids by Israel on Tuesday killed three members of the Islamist group in control of the coastal territory. The Israeli military said the strikes were in response to a total of 60 rockets that have been fired at Israel this past month.
Witnesses in Gaza said at least 10 rockets had been fired at Israel on Wednesday alone, although Israeli police put the figure at 40. Israeli paramedics said three people sustained shrapnel injuries as a result of the rockets.
The cross-border violence has escalated since a bomb blast wounded an Israeli officer on patrol on Tuesday. Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since 2007, issued a statement claiming responsibility for that attack, jointly with the Popular Resistance Committees.
The strikes follow a day on which the Emir of Qatar became the first leader of state to break the isolation of the Hamas leadership of Gaza with an official visit that dismayed Israel and rival, Western-backed Palestinian leaders.
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