Israeli tanks fire on Gaza in response to rocket

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israeli tanks shelled the Gaza Strip after a rocket from the Palestinian enclave hit an open field on Thursday, the second such exchange of fire in two days, officials said.

The rocket slammed into the Eshkol area of Israel bordering the Gaza Strip, which is run by Hamas, the Israeli military said in a statement.

The Israelis retaliated with tank fire targetting farmland east of the Al Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, said a Hamas security source.

That has led some analysts to question whether the change is in part the result of a new policy by hardline Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who took office in May.

Following the latest exchange, Israel’s military issued a brief statement only saying it “targetted the Hamas terror infrastructure inside the Gaza Strip using tanks”.

No casualties were reported on either side, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket attack.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces retaliated with air strikes and tank shelling of Hamas posts in Gaza after a rocket crashed onto a road in the Israeli city of Sderot.

That rocket was claimed by the small Salafist movement Ahfad Al Sahaba.

Israel however holds Hamas responsible for all such rocket fire.

No casualties were reported from the rocket or the Israeli strikes on Wednesday.