Israel launches airstrikes on Gaza following clashes

GAZA -- Israeli fighter jets late on Saturday attacked posts and facilities of the armed wing of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) here, Palestinian security sources and eyewitnesses said.

The airstrikes were launched in response to clashes earlier in the day between dozens of Palestinian demonstrators and Israeli soldiers on the borders between Israel and the besieged coastal enclave, in which an Israeli sniper was seriously wounded.

Several explosions were heard in central and western Gaza Strip, causing damage to Hamas' posts and facilities, while no casualties have been reported, according to the sources.

The airstrikes also attacked weapons caches and other posts that produce weapons, said an Israeli army spokesman in a press statement.

The spokesman held the Hamas movement, which rules and controls the Gaza Strip, fully responsible for the clashes on Israel and for exploiting civilians to get involved in attacks against Israel.

Earlier on Saturday, 41 Palestinian demonstrators were injured by Israeli soldiers' fire, including 22 children, with two of them in critical condition, according to Gaza hospital officials.

On Friday, the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, including Hamas, called on people to demonstrate near the borderline area with Israel to mark the 52nd anniversary for burning al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem.

Khalil al-Hayyah, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, told reporters that his movement will continue the efforts to defend al-Aqsa Mosque and the struggle to end the Israeli blockade that has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for 15 years.