Israel Strikes Hamas Sites in Gaza Following Rocket Attack

Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
TT

Israel Strikes Hamas Sites in Gaza Following Rocket Attack

Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Flame and smoke are seen during an Israeli airstrike in the southern Gaza Strip February 24, 2020. REUTERS/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa

An Israeli aircraft struck what the it claimed said was a Hamas military target in the southern Gaza Strip late Monday, shortly after a rocket was fired from Gaza into Israel.

The rocket landed in an open area and did not cause any damage or injuries, however it broke a weeks-long lull in the area, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket fire. But Israel holds Gaza's Hamas rulers responsible for all fire out of the territory and usually responds to rocket attacks with airstrikes on Hamas targets.

There were no reports of casualties from the Israeli airstrike.

In the Israeli-occuped West Bank, meanwhile, the Israeli army said it opened fire at three Palestinian men who were throwing firebombs at troops near the settlement of Einav.

It said one of the suspects was hit, while the two others managed to flee.

According to AP, there were no further details on the condition of the man who was shot.



US Says Israel Must Improve Gaza's Humanitarian Situation or Risk Aid

 People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
TT

US Says Israel Must Improve Gaza's Humanitarian Situation or Risk Aid

 People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Israel must take urgent steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza to avoid legal action involving US military aid, according to news reports on Tuesday.

"We are writing now to underscore the US government's deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory," they wrote in an Oct. 13 letter to their Israeli counterparts, posted by an Axios reporter on X, according to Reuters.

The State Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Israel's government also could not be immediately reached for comment.

The report comes as Israeli forces expand operations into northern Gaza amid ongoing concerns about access to humanitarian aid throughout the enclave and civilians' access to food, water and medicine.

US officials earlier this year said Israel may have violated international humanitarian law using US-supplied weapons during its military operation in Gaza.

This week's letter cited Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act, which restricts (prohibits) military aid to countries that impede delivery of US humanitarian assistance.

It also cited a National Security Memorandum that US President Joe Biden issued in February that requires the State Department to report to Congress on whether it finds credible Israel's assurances that its use of US weapons does not violate US or international law.