GAZA, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Israel renewed airstrikes Thursday against targets in north and south Gaza, as Palestinian militants fired rockets and mortars at Israeli settlements.
F-16 warplanes fired at least five rockets at the town of Beit Hanoun in the north of the strip and at agricultural fields, which Israel says are being used by militant to fire rockets at Israeli targets.
Medical sources said five Palestinians were injured in the pre-dawn airstrikes.
Also, Israeli helicopters attacked the house of Amer Karmout, a leading member of the Popular Palestinian Resistance Committees, in the refugee camp of Jabalia, inflicting heavy material damage and injuring one person.
Karmout escaped. Israel accuses him of involvement in rocket attacks against the Israeli town of Sederot from north Gaza.
Separately, several Palestinian groups, including Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades and the Popular Resistance Committees, announced Thursday they fired at least six rockets against Israeli centers.
They said the attack was in retaliation for the killing of four militants of the Popular Resistance Committees in an Israeli airstrike on Gaza.
In another development, Israel closed Thursday the crossings of Sofa and Karni, linking Gaza and the Jewish state.
A statement by the Palestinian interior ministry said Israel informed the Palestinian authorities about the closure of the two crossings used for the movement of goods only for security and legal reasons.
