Palestinian fighters fired several rockets at Israel from Gaza, prompting Israel to respond with airstrikes early Thursday. These attacks are the most intense clashes since last year's 11-day war.
Israeli security sources say a rocket from Gaza landed in a garden in the southern Israeli city of Sderot on Wednesday evening, but there were no casualties.
Israel retaliated early on Thursday, firing about a dozen rockets into central Gaza. After which four rockets were fired towards Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The Israeli military says its warplanes hit a military outpost and a tunnel complex in Gaza, where raw chemical materials for the manufacture of rocket engines were stored.
Hamas, which rules Gaza, said it fired surface-to-air rockets at Israeli planes.
The latest clash comes at a time when the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound has been at the center of conflict between the Palestinians and Israel for nearly a month.
Clashes continue
Hours before the latest clash between Hamas and Israeli forces, Israeli police prevented a mob of ultra-radical Jews from reaching Muslim-majority areas in East Jerusalem's Old City.
The move was taken by the police to end the escalating violence after four weeks of clashes. At least 36 people have been killed in these clashes so far.
Last year, a similar call by ultra-Orthodox Jews for demonstrations in the Old City sparked a series of clashes between Hamas and Israel that turned into the 11-day war.
On Wednesday evening, more than 1,000 radical Jewish protesters gathered waving Israeli flags. Some of them were chanting 'Death to the Arabs'.
But the police prevented them from reaching the Damascus Gate and the Muslim areas of the old city.
Far-right lawmaker Atmar Ben Guerr led the protesters.
He also criticized Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's announcement of a ban on protests in the Damascus Gate area on Wednesday.
"I want to say clearly that I am not going to sit back," Ben Guerre told the French news agency AFP.
In response, his supporters chanted 'Bennett go home'. Gower said, "After all, under what law am I not allowed to enter Damascus Gate?
Bennett had previously said in a statement that he had called off the march for security reasons. "I have no intention of allowing human lives to be endangered for petty politics," he said.
Ben Guerre responded Thursday, saying, "Some Jews don't surrender to Hamas
Increased tension
The tension between Hamas and Israel is constantly increasing. This situation is at a time when Jews are celebrating the festival of 'Passover' and Muslims are fasting the holy month of Ramadan.
Palestinians and Israeli Arabs carried out four attacks in Israel in late March and early April, killing 14 people.
On the other hand, 23 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since March 22. On Tuesday, Israel launched its first airstrike on Gaza in months.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the violence, saying, "He is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem." He said he was in touch with the parties and was trying to "persuade them to de-escalate and refrain from provocative actions".
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