Israel Attacks 9 Positions in Gaza

On the night of May 15, Israeli fighter jets attacked four positions of the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army stated that this action was in response to attacks by militants. In a statement, the Israeli army said, "The fighter jets attacked four infrastructure positions of the terrorist group Hamas in northern Gaza in response to ongoing attacks against Israeli forces." These attacks followed similar strikes earlier that morning. In the morning, Israeli jets targeted five other positions, but in the southern part of the strip. Israel claimed that the missile attacks originated from Gaza, prompting their response. AFP reported that there were no reports of casualties or damage from the missile attacks. Both Hamas and the Islamic Jihad group recently issued separate statements warning about escalating tensions at the border between the strip and Israel. The last round of extensive clashes between the two sides ended with a ceasefire, largely due to international pressure on Israel, in the summer of 2014. Despite Israel's accusations against the militants ruling Gaza regarding the continued construction of tunnels, there has been relative calm at the border between that country and the Palestinian strip. The tunnels were the main reason for Israel's attack on Gaza in 2014, which resulted in the deaths of 2,251 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and 73 Israelis, 67 of whom were soldiers.