Hamas: Israel Evades Internal Crises by Attacking Gaza

Palestinian party Hamas accused Israel of exacerbating the situation in Gaza Strip in order to avoid dealing with its domestic difficulties.

In response to rocket fire from the Palestinian region, Israeli aeroplanes launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip overnight. There were no injuries recorded.

In a statement, Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said, "The (military) escalation in Gaza is an attempt by Israel to export its own crises...particularly after the collapse of its security system in the aftermath of the jailbreak from Gilboa prison."

Six Palestinian inmates tunneled out of Israel's high-security Gilboa prison on Monday. After a manhunt, Israeli forces were able to apprehend four of them.

Gaza militants allegedly fired a rocket into Israel on Friday when two of the prisoners were apprehended and then again on Saturday after two more escaped inmates were caught. The Israeli military said it struck targets belonging to Hamas. There were no reports of casualties.

Palestinians celebrated the jailbreak as a "huge achievement," while Israelis denounced it as a major security and intelligence failure.

Israel will not succeed in modifying the norms of engagement with Palestinian resistance groups in Gaza, according to a Hamas spokesman.

The Gaza Strip, which is home to more than 2 million people, has been under a crushing Israeli embargo since 2007, severely hurting livelihood in the seashore enclave.