Israeli tank fire struck a number of sites in the Gaza Strip, including a residential home, in the second night of attacks on the coastal enclave.
Local Palestinian sources said there were no casualties from the Israeli artillery barrage, but material damage was done to a house located in the Maghazi refugee camp on Tuesday night.
Abu Mazen Abdel-Jawad’s family of five were sleeping when Israeli tanks targeted a room built on the roof of their three-storey home.
A relative of the family, Tayseer Abdel-Jawad, told Palestinian news agency Maan the roof of the house caved in, but the family survived unscathed.
“The bombing caused great damage inside the house,” he said. “The family miraculously escaped certain death.”
Israeli tanks also targeted observation points and locations east of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia, and Deir Al-Balah.
According to the Israeli army, the tanks fired on Hamas positions after a rocket was fired from the Palestinian enclave towards Israel.
“Late in the evening, a rocket was launched from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory,” the army said in a statement on WhatsApp. “In response, Israeli tanks struck Hamas positions” in the south of the Gaza Strip.
An earlier military statement said warning sirens were not activated in built-up areas, indicating the projectile fell on open ground.
There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Hamas – Gaza’s rulers – did not claim responsibility for the rocket fire, but Israel holds it responsible for any attacks from Gaza.
Early on Monday, two rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards the coastal city of Ashdod with Israeli military sources indicating they dropped into the Mediterranean Sea.
A few hours later, the Israeli army said its fighter jets struck Hamas facilities in southern Gaza.
The Gaza Strip has been under an Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007. Israel has since waged three deadly offensives against the Strip, in which thousands of civilians were killed.
