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Gaza City/Occupied Jerusalem: Israeli aircraft struck on Wednesday against Gaza fighters who bombarded Israeli border communities with rocket fire, vowing to keep up a military and economic siege on the territory until Hamas rulers halt the violence.
Israel, meanwhile, approved the construction of a border fence with Egypt, after a temporary breach of the Gaza-Egypt border last month gave rise to fears Palestinian fighters would enter Israel through the porous Egyptian frontier, security officials said.
Because of the mountainous terrain, the fence will not extend along the entire 230-km border, but will be augmented by sensors, the officials said.
The fence was originally proposed years ago, but was never built because of the cost, estimated at 1 billion to 2 billion shekels ($270 million, euro 190 million). It was not clear where the money would come from now.
Early yesterday, Israeli aircraft fired at fighters who had launched rockets moments earlier, the military said.
Hamas said four of its men were moderately injured.
Gaza said Israel carried out several airstrikes overnight, but the military confirmed only one.
Hamas fired a barrage of rockets at Israeli border communities on Tuesday and early yesterday, moderately wounding a 14-year-old girl and knocking out power in parts of the rocket-scarred town of Sderot.
Meanwhile, a Palestinian rocket landed in a southern Israeli community, lightly wounding two preschoolers.
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