Israel Shells Several Targets in the Gaza Strip

Israeli fighter jets attacked on Saturday morning several targets in different parts of the besieged Gaza Strip causing severe damage to infrastructure but leaving no injuries, local media reported.

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The warplanes fired 10 missiles at a site near a tourist complex in Sheikh Ijjileen, southwest of Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip, destroying it in its entirety and setting it on fire, in addition to causing severe damage to houses in its vicinity. 

The warplanes also fired two missiles at another location west of the Nusseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, destroying it in its entirety and damaging nearby houses. The shelling sparked a fire at the site as plumes of smoke were seen in the area.

The attack came hours after U.S. President Joe Biden left Israel after a three-day official visit. Biden visited the West Bank to meet with Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian National Authority, sparking protests in the Gaza Strip, Ramallah and Nablus.

Israel claims the attack was in retaliation for rockets fired from the Gaza area into southern Israel. Earlier in the night, a rocket fired from Gaza struck southern Israel, causing slight damage to a house but no injuries, Israeli police said. Four more rockets were also fired from Gaza, the Israeli military said, but were intercepted by air defense systems.

No Palestinian faction claimed responsibility for the rocket launches. 

Following the airstrikes, official Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said that "the occupation, with all the tools of terrorism and U.S. support, will not be able to bend the will of our steadfast people and their brave resistance."

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum also said it was not a coincidence that the Israeli airstrikes took place right after Biden's visit to 'Israel'.

 "This escalation, which came immediately after U.S. President Biden's visit to the Zionist enclave, reflects the amount of American support and encouragement the Israeli occupation has received for the continuation of its aggression and the perpetration of its crimes," he said in a statement.