Israel-Gaza border violence erupts after covert op killings

gaza-israel-reuters A view shows the site of Israeli air strikes on Hamas's TV station building, in Gaza City | Reuters

A day after seven militants and an Israeli soldier were killed during an undercover Israeli operation in Gaza, violence has flared between Israel and Palestinian militants.

Around 300 rockets, fired at Israel by militants, hit a bus, seriously injuring a soldier nearby. Israel retaliated by targeting sites it claimed belonged to Hamas and Islamic Jihad and killed three Palestinians.

The violence has threatened to derail truce efforts being carried out by the United Nations, Egypt and Qatar. Residents of Israeli-town Ashkelon fled to bomb shelters as sirens warned them of the attack.

Israel responded with dozens of air strikes against Gaza buildings including a Hamas intelligence compound and the Al-Aqsa Television studios, whose employees had received advance warnings from the military to evacuate.

Egypt urged Israel to back down. The United States, whose peace mediation has been stalled since 2014, condemned Hamas.

"The escalation in the past 24 hours is EXTREMELY dangerous and reckless," tweeted Nickolay Mladenov, a UN Middle East envoy. "Rockets must STOP, restraint must be shown by all!"

Violence has simmered since Palestinians launched weekly border protests on March 30 to demand the easing of a blockade on Gaza and rights to lands lost in the 1948 war of Israel's founding. Israeli troops have killed more that 220 Palestinians during the confrontations, which have included border breaches. A Qatari cash infusion of $15 million last week appeared to dampen Gazan anger. On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he hoped to reach an "arrangement" to avoid another Gaza war and ease Palestinian economic hardship.

But hours later, a botched incursion by undercover Israeli troops in Gaza led to fighting that killed a Hamas commander, six other Palestinian militants and an Israeli colonel.

"In response to yesterday's crime, the joint command of Palestinian factions announce the beginning of bombardment of the enemy's settlements with scores of rockets," Hamas said in a statement on Monday.

In an apparent attempt to defuse tensions, Israel's military spokesman said the special forces had not been dispatched to assassinate Hamas commanders, a tactic that led to wider conflict in the past and which has largely been abandoned. Israeli media reports suggested the raid was mounted to gather intelligence.

Hamas, which is branded a terrorist group in the West, and Israel have fought three wars in the last decade and neither side appeared keen to precipitate another full-on conflict.On Monday, Palestinian factions placed the onus on Israel to cease fire, saying they were prepared to increase the range of

rocket fire for as long as the air barrage on Gaza persisted.

But the Israelis, jarred by dozens of civilian casualties in their border communities, appeared set on deterring Hamas.Brigadier-General Ronen Manelis, Israel's military spokesman, said Hamas was "leading Gaza to ruin" and that Israeli attacks on it would "intensify to the degree required".