Israelis respond to twin Hamas attacks

JERUSALEM, April 20 (UPI) -- The Israeli military Sunday said it launched airstrikes against suspected Hamas militants in response to twin suicide attacks on Israeli soldiers.

Hamas militants Saturday carried out two suicide attacks on the Kerem Shalom crossing in an attempt to break the Israeli blockade on Gaza. The attacks left 13 Israeli soldiers injured.

One suspected member of Hamas died and two others suffered injuries from Israeli military attacks early Sunday when fighters launched missiles at their vehicles, Ynetnews.com said.

The Israeli air force killed five other alleged Hamas members and wounded another in separate operations Saturday night.

Palestinian emergency officials reportedly had difficulty responding to the operations due to ongoing fuel shortages as part of the blockade.