Over 150 rockets were fired towards Israel from Gaza on Wednesday, 25 of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, the Israeli military said, announcing retaliatory strikes against Hamas targets.

On Wednesday night IDF fighter jets attacked 12 Hamas targets along the Gaza Strip. One of the jets struck a factory that was being used to produce components intended for the construction of terrorist tunnels leading into Israel, the army said. Israeli fighters also struck a tunnel on the Mediterranean coast and targeted weapons and rocket manufacturing sites, as well as a military complex serving as a central logistic warehouse, the IDF noted.

The strikes come in retaliation for a barrage of rockets which forced thousands of Israelis to seek shelter along Gaza border towns. Approximately 150 rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at Israel, the IDF said, adding that the Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted 25 launches, with the majority of the projectiles striking open areas.

For the last 6 hours, thousands of Israeli civilians living in these cities have been running for shelter as more than 70 rockets were launched at them from the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/AyS8seiSsD — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 8, 2018

A short while ago, IDF aircraft fired towards a vehicle used by a Gazan rocket launching squad to launch a rocket at Israeli territory pic.twitter.com/E7mLpaNB0d — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 8, 2018

"The Hamas terrorist organization is responsible for everything in and out of the Gaza Strip and will bear the consequences for the acts of terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians," the IDF said.

Tonight, Hamas fired rockets at this playground in Sderot, Israel, which is home to 25,000 people. They're innocent mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters. The Hamas terrorist organization looks at Sderot from the Gaza Strip and sees 25,000 targets. pic.twitter.com/ZSqZnQSNNx — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 8, 2018

The reality in Israel for the last 8 hours pic.twitter.com/CrcASE6c6h — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 9, 2018

The IDF posted some raw footage of the rocket attacks, from which at least 17 people were treated for bodily and shock injuries, Jerusalem Post reports. The city of Sderot has seen the most action throughout Wednesday, with at least four projectiles landing there.

Raw footage: children in the city of Sderot, Israel, running as a rocket from Gaza explodes near them pic.twitter.com/opqy7XDCp8 — IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) August 8, 2018

עדכון: פצוע קל עד בינוני כבן 45 טופל ע"י חובשים באיחוד הצלה סניף שדרות כתוצאה מפגיעת רסיס בשדרות. כמו כן צוותי חוס"ן היחידה לסיוע נפשי של איחוד הצלה מעניקים סיוע רפואי ראשוני למספר נפגעי חרדה עקב שמיעת האזעקות. pic.twitter.com/umHpip8SCj — דסק חדשות און ליין (@yosefbadichi) August 8, 2018

The rocket launches come after an IDF tank struck a Hamas facility in Gaza on Tuesday, reportedly killing two members of Hamas’ military wing’s al-Nukhba elite unit and wounding six others. The IDF later suggested the incident was a misunderstanding, as the tank returned fire in response to the shots fired as part of a ceremony of the al-Qassam Brigades, which were not deliberately aimed at Israeli soldiers, Haaretz reported.

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On Wednesday, an IDF tank again struck Hamas posts in Gaza after gunmen opened fire at a civilian vehicle involved in the construction of a barrier along the border. No injuries were reported as a result of the gunfire.

As alert sirens continued to go off in southern Israel, Hamas issued a statement saying “We are delivering on our promise. The resistance accepted the responsibility to even the playing field with the enemy and it is succeeding in doing so.”

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