By Xinhua
Gaza : Israeli forces carried out two separate raids in southern and northern Gaza Strip early on Thursday, wounding three people and arresting 12, various sources said.
According to residents of al-Qarara, a small town to the east of Khan Younis city in southern Gaza Strip, the Israeli undercover forces rolled into the neighborhood and opened fire, injuring two residents and arresting seven others.
Later, clashes sparked between Palestinian fighters and the Israeli forces which called backup. A militant from the Islamic Jihad movement was wounded in the fire exchange, the movement said in a statement.
A woman and her husband were among the seven who were taken from al-Qarara, the residents said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army entered al-Siefa neighborhood in northwest Beit Lahiya town in northern Gaza Strip. The forces searched houses near the border and arrested five people; four of them were from al-Ghoul family, members of the family told reporters.
A member of Hamas, which rules Gaza Strip, Thursday called on Israel to take advantage of the international and regional efforts which aims at achieving calmness between the two sides. He considered the daily Israeli army operations a proof that Israel doesn’t want true peace.
Meanwhile, an explosion rocked a residential complex in northern Gaza Strip and smashed windows at al-Nadda towers in BeitLahiya. Local sources said the explosion was likely a result of a straying home-made rocket fired by Palestinian militants.