Gaza-Israel hostilities flare with rocket attacks

Gaza/Jerusalem:  Gaza militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel on Saturday, drawing a wave of Israeli air strikes that killed one Palestinian gunman, as hostilities flared across the border for a second day.

The escalation began on Friday, when two Israeli soldiers were wounded by Gaza gunfire near the border. A retaliatory Israeli air strike killed two militants from the Islamist Hamas group that governs Gaza. Two other Pales-tinians protesting near the frontier were also killed by Israeli forces.

On Saturday, Israel hit Gaza with air strikes and tank fire after Palestinian militants fired about 150 rockets toward Israeli cities and villages. The Israeli military said its forces had carried out attacks against more than 30 targets belonging to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group. A small armed pro-Hamas group in Gaza, The Protectors of Al-Aqsa, said one of its men was killed in an air strike.

The Gaza Health Ministry said six Palestinians were wounded. Residents identified two of them as militants.

The Palestinian Educa-tion Ministry said it was evacuating schools in areas under Israeli bombardment.

Across the border, rocket sirens sent Israelis running to shelters, and the Magen David Adom ambulance service said one woman was seriously wounded by shrapnel in the city of Kiryat Gat. Many of the missiles were intercepted, the military said.

The flare-up, which prompted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to convene his security council, comes days before Muslims begin Ramzan.