Israeli forces early Wednesday launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip damaging infrastructure belonging to Hamas' military wing, locals said. Local sources told Ma'an that the strikes targeted two locations in western Gaza City used for training by Hamas' military wing, al-Qassam Brigades, causing material damages to nearby homes. In the central Gaza Strip, Israeli forces hit an area known as "Brigade 13" used by the militant group, locals said, adding that no injuries were reported. The strikes came after the Israeli army said a rocket fired from the besieged strip exploded near the border fence. The Israeli air force "targeted two Hamas sites in the Northern and Central Gaza Strip," the army confirmed, adding that Israel holds Hamas responsible for "any act of terror" from the strip. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the rocket launched from the strip Tuesday, and no injuries or damages were reported. Sporadic rocket fire has come from the Gaza Strip this year and has been met with retaliatory Israeli attacks, with the military making at least 49 incursions into the enclave since the start of 2015, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Last month an Israeli airstrike killed a two-year-old Palestinian and her pregnant mother inside their home. The Israeli army said at the time the strikes targeted "two Hamas weapon manufacturing facilities in the northern Gaza Strip," and made no mention of hitting civilian homes. Hamas has not claimed responsibility for any rocket attacks since last year's devastating war, and the movement has been attempting to clamp down on smaller armed groups. in the strip. Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri last month warned Israel that following a string of "war crimes" the Palestinian "people will defend themselves by any means possible."
