THE Israeli military carried out its largest airstrike campaign in Gaza since the 2014 war as Hamas militants fired dozens of rockets into Israel throughout Saturday.
The escalation in the conflict threatened to trigger an all-out war after weeks of growing tensions along the volatile border.
Two Palestinian teenagers were killed in an airstrike in Gaza City, while three Israelis were wounded from a rocket that landed on a residential home.
Israel said it was focused on hitting militant targets and was warning Gaza civilians to keep their distance from certain sites.
But even before the report of casualties, the intense tit-for-tat airstrikes and rocket barrages still marked a significant flare-up after a long period of a generally low-level, simmering conflict.
“The Israeli army delivered its most painful strike against Hamas since the 2014 war and we will increase the strength of our attacks as much as necessary,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
Late on Saturday, Hamas and Islamic Jihad militants in Gaza announced that they had agreed to a cease-fire brokered by Egypt, but sirens warning of incoming rockets still wailed in southern Israel early on Sunday and it was unclear if the cease-fire was holding.
Netanyahu has come under pressure to act from southern Israeli communities, who have found themselves under rocket fire from Gaza.
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