Israeli raid prompts calls for revenge in Gaza

UPDATE: Palestinian militants launched dozens of rockets and mortar shells at Israel on Monday while Israeli warplanes bombarded targets throughout the Gaza Strip. The fighting appeared to be the most intense in the area since 2014. Palestinian officials said at least three people, including two militants, were killed by Israeli fire and nine were wounded. In Israel, the national rescue service said at least seven people were wounded, including a 19-year-old man who was in critical condition. The fighting followed an overnight security raid in Gaza by the Israeli military.

OUR EARLIER REPORT (10:23 a.m.): Thousands of mourners in the Gaza Strip protested with shouts of “revenge” Monday as they buried militants killed in a clash with Israel. Hamas, the leading Islamist group in the Gaza Strip, said Israeli forces entered the region under cover and opened fire late Sunday. Palestinian rocket fire and Israeli airstrikes followed the firefight. Seven militants, including Cmdr. Nour el-Deen Baraka, died, and one Israeli soldier was killed. Israeli military spokesman Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said the operation was “not intended to kill or abduct terrorists, but to strengthen Israeli security.”

Protests began at the Gaza Strip border in March over the decade-old blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt on the Palestinian territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cut short a trip to France to deal with the violence. Netanyahu on Twitter lauded the killed officer and said “our forces acted courageously.” The latest violence threatens recent arrangements by Israel and Hamas to allow cash and fuel into Gaza to improve living conditions in the impoverished territory.