GAZA (Reuters) ? Israel's air force bombed an Islamic Jihad base in the southern Gaza Strip Saturday, killing a commander and four munitions experts from the Palestinian faction, officials on both sides said.
The strike in Rafah followed a Palestinian cross-border rocket launch this week which the Israelis blamed on Islamic Jihad. That attack caused no casualties but a rocket landed deep enough to set off sirens on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Fresh salvoes were fired Saturday evening, wounding two Israelis and calling into question the duration of a relative lull secured by Gaza's Islamist Hamas rulers, who last week held a major, Egyptian-brokered prisoner swap with the Jewish state.
Islamic Jihad said an explosion in its Rafah training camp killed commander Ahmed al-Sheikh Khalil and four comrades who oversaw the manufacture of bombs and rockets for the faction.
Doctors said two other militants were hurt in the incident, during which witnesses reported Israeli helicopters overhead.
In Jerusalem, the Israeli military said in a statement that its aircraft had "targeted a terrorist squad ... that was preparing to launch long-range rockets."
It said those struck were responsible for the rocket launch late Wednesday, though no Palestinian faction had claimed responsibility.
Islamic Jihad, a sometime Hamas ally, has chafed at its recent efforts to impose de facto ceasefires with Israel.
Hamas last week repatriated an Israeli soldier it captured in 2006 in exchange for the staggered release of more than 1,000 jailed Palestinians. That deal, mediated by Egypt, stirred speculation a more enduring detente could be in the works.
NO TRUCE NOW
"There is no chance of speaking about a truce now, following such a big crime against leaders of the group," said Islamic Jihad spokesman Abu Ahmed.
"Now we are talking about the suitable response to this crime," he said, a threat of retribution echoed by other militant groups.
Within hours, at least 12 Palestinian rockets and mortar bombs hit different sites in southern Israel, lightly wounding two civilians, police said. Islamic Jihad and the more secular factions Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades separately took credit.
The salvoes appeared to have overwhelmed Iron Dome, a rocket interceptor that Israel began deploying outside Gaza in April.
Islamic Jihad released images of what it said was a vehicle-mounted multiple rocket-launcher used by its men, a launch platform recalling those of Libyan rebels and not previously seen in Gaza. Israel says Gazan arsenals have been boosted by gun-running from Libya since the fall of its ruler, Muammar Gaddafi.
Remarking on the Rafah deaths, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri accused Israel of a "serious escalation against our people."
In keeping with Israeli government policy, the military statement said: "The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Dan Williams, Editing by Rosalind Russell)
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