Hamas on Sunday night blamed Israel for the latest escalation in Gaza, after Israeli aircraft launched several airstrikes on terrorist infrastructures in Gaza.
The airstrikes were a response to a rocket attack from Gaza on the city of Sderot.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said, in comments quoted by Reuters, "We hold (Israel) responsible for the escalation in the Gaza Strip and we stress that its aggression will not succeed in breaking the will of our people and dictate terms to the resistance."
Earlier Sunday, a rocket from Gaza exploded in the southern Israeli city of Sderot. Security forces located the rocket inside the city. There were no injuries.
In retaliation, Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft attacked terrorist infrastructures in Gaza, and later followed those up with additional attacks on Hamas targets in Gaza.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said in a statement that “the attacks on these infrastructures are a response to high trajectory attacks on the city of Sderot earlier today, which constitute a threat to the security of Israeli citizens and harms the sovereignty of the State of Israel.”
The statement stressed that “the Hamas terrorist organization is the sovereign in Gaza, and it will be held responsible for any terrorist activity from the region.”
Sderot was also targeted by rocket fire last month, when a Gaza rocket exploded in an empty kindergarten. There were no injuries, but the building sustained damage.
Rocket and mortar fire from Gaza has continued to “trickle” into Israel on occasion despite a ceasefire which Gaza's Hamas rulers agreed to.