Hamas militants in Gaza fired "dozens" of rockets into southern Israel late Monday, the Islamist movement said after six of its men died as tensions soared around the Palestinian enclave. The bombardment was confirmed by the Israeli army which said militants had launched "a few dozen rockets" within a short period of time.
At least four were intercepted over Netivot by the Iron Dome anti-missile system, while another 16 struck the area around the southern city of Beersheva, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) from Gaza, and which is home to 200,000 people, the army said. Sirens sounded in several locations south of Tel Aviv, public radio said. The rocket fire was claimed by Hamas's armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, in a statement sent to AFP in Gaza.
Shortly afterwards, the Israeli air force hit more than 30 targets near southern city of Rafah in an area close to the Israeli border which is riddled with tunnels, Palestinian witnesses and security sources told AFP. The rocket fire came several hours after Israel staged around 16 air strikes on targets across Gaza, following a night in which warplanes had attacked 14 targets, killing at least three militants.
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