Israeli warplanes strike on Gaza Strip targets

Israeli war jets struck on Friday night several targets in eastern and western Gaza city and central Gaza Strip, apparently in a response to earlier Grad rocket attack at southern Israel, witnesses said.

Witnesses in western Gaza city told Xinhua they heard two successive explosions, adding that the explosions were a result of an airstrike on a security compound closed to the beachside of the city.

The security compound is controlled by Islamic Hamas movement, which has been ruling the Gaza Strip since it seized control of it by force in June 2007. Ambulances and firefighters rushed to the area.

The witnesses said that apparently there are casualties, and ambulances are working on evacuating them from a military training center belong to Hamas police in western Gaza City.

Paramedics said that at least four people were injured and were taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City for treatment.

Two other successive airstrikes were carried out against two different targets in eastern Gaza City and central Gaza Strip. No reports of casualties at the two sites.

The three successive Israeli airstrikes came several hours after a Russian-made Grad rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern costal Israeli town of Ashkelon. Damage was reported, but there were no injuries.

The Popular Resistance Committee, a pro-Hamas militant group in Gaza claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that the Arab League decision to resume the direct peace talks with Israel "is absurd and useless."