Israeli military sources said that the soldiers identified armed Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip and warplanes fired at them. However, local Palestinian sources said that Israeli combat helicopters opened fire at houses but no one was reportedly wounded.
In Al-Qarara village, Israeli troops backed by helicopters entered the village and leveled agricultural land with bulldozers. No one was reportedly wounded, but the use of intensive and heavy fire caused fear and panic among residents of the village.
Israel has escalated its military action in the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks, and two Israeli soldiers and three Palestinians have been killed during the armed clashes.
On Saturday night, leaders of the Hamas movement held an urgent meeting in Gaza city with a number of Palestinian resistance groups in an attempt to reduce tensions at the Gaza-Israel border.
A well-informed source close to Hamas told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that the urgent meeting is "a new strong gesture to reduce the tension on Gaza-Israel border, including rocket attacks on the Jewish state."
"The participants, including leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad movement and left-wing groups, agreed on certain tactics to avoid a possible Israel retaliation that might harm Palestinian national interests," added the source.
Also on Friday, the deposed Hamas government called on the Palestinian factions' armed wings for self-restraint following a series of aerial attacks on Thursday night on different areas in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas spokesman Ayman Taha told the BBC on Sunday that the government in Gaza is "working to curb Gaza rocket attacks."
