Jerusalem, June 19 – Palestinian terrorists in Gaza fired volleys of rockets and missiles at Israeli towns and villages on Tuesday in the worst outbreak of violence for several weeks, wounding three Israelis.

 

The military wing of the Hamas terrorist group, armed and financed by Iran, claimed responsibility for many of the strikes. In previous outbreaks of violence against Israel this year, the rival Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility while Hamas worked to calm matters down.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, 29 rockets, mortars and missiles landed in Israel on Tuesday. Other media outlets, including the Jerusalem Post, put the number at 45. The Israel Project now puts the number of rockets and missiles fired at Israel from Gaza this year at 396, compared to 653 in the whole of 2011.