GAZA/JERUSALEM, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Hamas said on Sunday that it fired rockets at an Israeli military base in southern Israel, while at least seven Israelis were reportedly injured.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a press statement that "our militants targeted an Israeli army gathering at the Kerem Shalom site and its surroundings in the city of Rafah in the far south of the Gaza Strip with a 114 mm short-range (Rajoum) missile system."
The statement provided no further details on the attack.
The Israeli state-owned Kan TV reported that Israeli helicopters and tanks struck Gaza's Rafah city after the Hamas attack.
For its part, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a release that approximately ten mortars were fired from Rafah towards Kerem Shalom, a crossing located near the southern Gaza Strip.
"The Kerem Shalom crossing is currently closed to the passage of humanitarian aid trucks," the military said.
The Soroka Hospital in the city of Beersheba said that at least seven Israeli citizens were injured to varying degrees.
The attack occurred amid a sensitive time in the Egyptian and Qatari-brokered negotiations between the Palestinian group and Israel regarding a ceasefire and a hostage release deal. ■
