11/12/2012

Israel airstrikes hit 'terror tunnel'

The owner of a damaged factory, gestures in front of a pile of plastic in Beit Hanun, in the Gaza Strip, on November 11.
The owner of a damaged factory, gestures in front of a pile of plastic in Beit Hanun, in the Gaza Strip, on November 11.
  • The Israeli military says more than 110 militant rockets have been fired since Saturday
  • Isarel has threatened to escalate its military response

(CNN) -- Israeli airstrikes hit Palestinian targets in Gaza overnight, scoring direct hits on a "terror tunnel" and a weapons storage facility, the military said Monday.

A military representative said militants have launched more than 110 rockets since Saturday.

"The IDF will not tolerate any attempt to harm Israeli civilians, and will operate against anyone who uses terror against the State of Israel," an Israel Defense Forces statement said. "The Hamas terror organization is solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

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The strikes came a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is ready to escalate its military response to attacks from Gaza.

"The world must understand that Israel will not sit idly against attempts to harm us. We are ready to intensify the reaction," Netanyahu said on Sunday.

Israeli forces are already striking at terror groups in Gaza behind the attacks, he said.

The Palestinian death toll from Sunday's violence was six, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA. Also, more than 30 Palestinians have been wounded, with 10 of them in critical condition, according to the report.

Initial reports indicate four Israeli civilians were wounded by the rocket attacks, according to Israeli military spokeswoman Avital Leibovich. Four Israeli soldiers were wounded Saturday, according to the military.

"Due to continuous rocket attacks" from Gaza, school was canceled Sunday in some Israeli communities, Leibovich tweeted. She added the hashtag: "#terror."

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum warned against escalating the violence and targeting civilians, saying "we cannot sit idle towards it. An end should be put to it."

CNN's Kareem Khadder and Sara Sidner contributed to this report

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