Israeli airstrikes target Gaza sites for first time since ceasefire

Israeli Knesset member Bezalel Smotrich, centre, waves his country’s flag together with other Jewish ultra-nationalists during a march in East Jerusalem on Tuesday, which preceded renewed shelling of Hamas targets by Israel. Picture: Mahmoud Illean/AP

Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Wednesday, the first such raids since a shaky ceasefire ended the war with Hamas last month.

The airstrikes targeted facilities used by Hamas militants for meetings to plan attacks, the Israeli military said, blaming the group for any act of violence emanating from Gaza. There were no immediate reports of casualties.