Israel claims it intercepted a number of ‘projectiles’ following an aerial bombardment of suspected Hamas targets in Gaza on Saturday. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) claim the strikes were in response to earlier missile attacks.

The Israeli Air Force struck 15 targets in three different locations in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The attacks come less than a week after Egypt brokered a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants following a month of unrest arising from the Great March of Return protests and the US decision to move its embassy to Jerusalem.

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“This strike was conducted in response to the projectiles which were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel last night,” the IDF said on Twitter. “The IDF views the Hamas terror organization’s actions with great severity and will continue fulfilling its mission to protect Israeli civilians as necessary.” It is not yet clear if there were any casualties in the attacks.

Sirens were reportedly heard in various areas along the Israel-Gaza border on Saturday night. According to Haaretz, its rockets were fired in retaliation for the death of Razan Al-Najar, a 21-year-old Palestinian medic killed by an Israeli sniper while treating wounded protesters near the border fence at Khan Younes on Friday.

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Speaking to RT, Al-Najar’s mother claimed that her daughter was deliberately targeted by Israeli sniper fire. "My daughter Razan was targeted. They knew she was a paramedic. She was the first female paramedic in the field," Sabreen Najar said. "She was directly shot by the Israeli forces. The bullet deliberately targeted her, it was not a random bullet. It was a sniper."

Following the IDF’s actions late on Saturday, it’s understood that at least two projectiles were fired at Israel from Gaza in the early hours of Sunday. The Israeli army says it intercepted both attacks.

Nearly 120 Palestinians have been killed since the beginning of the Great March of Return protests on March 30, mainly by Israeli live fire. Thousands of others have been injured as Israel maintains its right to protect the border by all means necessary.

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