Gaza targeted in Israeli air strikes after Jenin withdrawal

The Israeli military struck several sites in Gaza in the early hours of Wednesday, shortly after a withdrawal from Jenin after a two-day bloody assault. 

Israeli F-16 fighter jets and drones targeted a site to the west of Khan Younis, as well as targets in and around Gaza City and a site near the Shuja’iyya neighbourhood, according to the Shehab News Agency.

Additionally, a site near Beit Lahiya was also targeted, with some reports claiming it was an Israeli naval attack.

The attacks allegedly caused extensive damage to homes and other civil infrastructure near to the attack sites, with locals reporting hearing and seeing large explosions and fires. There have been no casualties, civilian or otherwise, reported.

Video of the Israeli bombing in Beit Lahiya Northern Gaza strip. #Gaza pic.twitter.com/mTvrziJdHy

— Ahmed Shameya (@Ahmedwsh95) July 5, 2023

The Israeli military claimed in a statement early on Wednesday that it had targeted what it claims to be several sites used by Hamas, including "an underground weapons workshop" and "a site for processing rocket components".

The claims made by the Israeli military regarding the identity of its targets cannot be verified.

Israel alleges that the attacks came after several rockets were fired from Gaza towards the Israeli town of Sderot. The rockets caused no casualties or damage and were intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defence system, according to the Israeli military.

The coastal enclave of the Gaza Strip, home to two million Palestinians, has been under a crippling Israeli-Egyptian siege for 16 years.

On Tuesday, residents in the besieged strip organised solidarity rallies for Jenin in the occupied West Bank after Israeli forces carried out a deadly military operation in the refugee camp, the largest since 2002.

The attack on Gaza came only a few hours before the last remaining Israeli military vehicles had left the Palestinian refugee camp following the two-day-long incursion.

During the assault, at least 12 Palestinians were killed, and more than 100 wounded, with 20 believed to be in a critical condition. Thousands have also been forced to flee their homes in the refugee camp.