Israeli aircraft attacked Hamas infrastructure in Gaza early Wednesday after a group of terrorists entered Israel and torched a military post.
An IDF tank responded to the border breach by firing on a Hamas observation post.
The IDF said it hit one of Hamas' attack tunnels and "military targets belonging to the Hamas terror organization's naval force."
Gaza residents reported Wednesday that a boat moored in Gaza City had been destroyed in the strikes. There were no reports of casualties. The Gazans said the vessel had been due to sail out to meet a flotilla en route to Gaza.
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said Wednesday that the strikes had destroyed another Hamas tunnel.
"The attempts to attack Israel from the air, through the fence, and from underground will run up against an iron wall and the power of the IDF. The heads of Hamas had better realize that their military project is a failure, and put the resources into improving the lives of Gaza residents," Lieberman said.
The IDF said that in addition to responding to the latest border breach, Wednesday's strikes were in retaliation for Hamas' attempts to send drones and burning kites over the border, which have burned Israeli fields near the border and caused millions of dollars worth of damage.
Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the strikes are merely "a new unsuccessful attempt" to stop the violent Palestinian protests along the Gaza border, which are organized by Hamas.
The IDF said in a statement that it takes "the daily attempts by the Hamas terrorist organization to attack security infrastructure in Israel while threatening the safety of civilians and soldiers" very seriously, and it would "continue carrying out its mission of protecting the citizens of Israel."
"The Hamas terrorist organization bears sole responsibility for what happens in the Gaza Strip, both above and below ground, and it will have to deal with the ramifications of its terrorist activities carried out from Gaza against Israelis and Israeli sovereignty," the IDF said.
