Israel launches fresh airstrikes on Hamas in Gaza

Breaking the truce that was agreed on earlier this week, Israel on Saturday confirmed that it had targeted several Hamas sites during predawn airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. 

The news comes two days after two rockets were fired at Israel from the Palestinian enclave and were intercepted by air defence systems.

According to an Al Jazeera report, the Israeli army's retaliation early on Saturday did not target positions of the Islamic Jihad group but sites belonging to Hamas, a military and political faction that rules the Gaza strip.

The airstrikes marked the first time when Hamas was targeted since this week's escalation began early on Tuesday after Israel bombed the home of a top commander of Islamic Jihad, Bahaa Abu al-Ata, the second most powerful Palestinian militant group in the Gaza Strip after Hamas.

The 42-year-old's targeted killing in his house triggered almost immediate retaliatory rocket fire from Islamic Jihad at Israel.

Israel then responded with its own airstrikes, claiming that it targeted Islamic Jihad militant sites and rocket and missile-launching squads.

On Thursday morning, a ceasefire was agreed following two days of violence, which left 34 Palestinians dead in exchanges of fire. No casualties were reported in Israel.

The Gaza Strip is home to over two million Palestinians. Since 2008, Israel and Palestinian militants have fought three wars there.