Army attacked amid violent rally

Gaza: The Israeli military said it carried out airstrikes on Gaza after at least 12 Palestinians were injured in clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police on the border. According to the report of Xinhua news agency, no casualties have been reported so far in the raid. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement on Friday that a military post belonging to Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza, was attacked after a “violent riot” broke out on the border between Israel and the coastal enclave. The IDF said that during the standoff, explosives and grenades were thrown towards IDF soldiers, after which Israeli troops retaliated against the Palestinians. It said no IDF soldiers were injured in the clash. The Hamas-run health ministry earlier said at least 12 Palestinians were wounded by bullets fired by Israeli troops. Palestinian security sources told Xinhua that the clash occurred between hundreds of young Palestinians rallying to express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons. This year has seen persistent tensions between Palestinians and Israelis in Gaza and the West Bank amid long-stalled peace talks.