- Title: Israel, Gaza exchange fire hours after Israel-Gulf pacts signing
- Date: 16th September 2020
- Summary: GAZA CITY, GAZA (SEPTEMBER 16, 2020) (REUTERS) PEOPLE PASSING BY SITE THAT WAS HIT BY ISRAELI STRIKES VARIOUS OF DEBRIS ON GROUND VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PASSING BY SITE OF EXPLOSION SUNRISE OVER GAZA GAZA CITY AS SEEN FROM ROOFTOP
- Embargoed: 30th September 2020 07:39
- Keywords: Bahrain Gaza Israel Palestinians U.S. UAE airstrikes normalization rockets
- Location: GAZA CITY AND KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA / WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES / AT SKY ABOVE GAZA
- City: GAZA CITY AND KHAN YOUNIS, GAZA / WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES / AT SKY ABOVE GAZA
- Country: Palestinian Territories
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
- Reuters ID: LVA004CVXUBT3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Militants in Gaza launched rockets into Israel and Israeli aircraft hit targets in the Palestinian enclave in an explosive backdrop to the signing of pacts for formal ties between Israel and two Gulf Arab countries.
The Israeli military said it launched about 10 air strikes in Hamas Islamist-run Gaza early on Wednesday (September 16) and that 15 rockets had been fired from the territory at Israeli communities near the border, where sirens sounded before dawn.
On Tuesday (September 15), a rocket from Gaza struck the coastal Israeli city of Ashdod, wounding two people, at the same time as Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed agreements at the White House to establish diplomatic relations.
"I'm not surprised that the Palestinian terrorists fired at Israel precisely during this historic ceremony," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said before his flight returning to Israel.
Palestinians, who seek an independent state in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, view the U.S.-brokered deals as a betrayal of their cause.
No casualties were reported on either side of the Israel-Gaza frontier. The military said eight of the rockets launched on Wednesday were intercepted by its Iron Dome anti-missile system.
(Production: Mohammed Shana, Arafat Barbakh, Bassam Masoud) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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