The Hamas-run Gaza civil defense agency said Israeli attacks in the coastal enclave killed at least 13 people late Thursday, including five children, despite a ceasefire that has largely halted the fighting.

In a joint statement on Friday morning, the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service confirmed the strikes, saying they were undertaken in response to a “failed launch” of a missile from Gaza City toward Israel.

The security organizations said the strikes “precisely” targeted Hamas terrorists and the group’s infrastructure, including tunnels used for launching rockets, in the north and south of Gaza.

“The launch carried out from the Gaza Strip constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” the statement said.

“The IDF and the Shin Bet view any breach of the agreement with the utmost severity and will continue to act against any attempt by terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip to carry out terrorist attacks against IDF forces or Israeli civilians.”

Earlier on Thursday, the IDF said a projectile was launched “from the area of Gaza City toward the State of Israel” but that it fell within the Gaza Strip and that “shortly after, the IDF precisely struck the launch point.”

Gaza........

© The Times of Israel