One martyred, 10 hurt as Israel shells Gaza amid reports Israel’s Iron Dome intercepted Gaza rocket for first time

One person was martyred and at least 10 were wounded on Thursday when Israeli occupation troops shelled two separate areas in Gaza, the Palestinian emergency services said.

Emergency services spokesman Adham Abu Selmiya said one person had been martyred and eight others including a small child were injured when Israeli forces shelled the Shejaiya neighborhood in eastern Gaza City. Shortly afterwards, another two people were wounded when the army shelled an area east of Jabaliya refugee camp, he said.

Farther south, Israeli warplanes raided a target near Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, but no one was injured, Palestinian security forces said.

The shelling came shortly after an anti-tank missile hit a bus in the occupied territories, wounding two persons, according to Israeli media. Following the attack, 16 additional mortar shells were fired at Israeli-occupied towns in the western Negev, most of them hitting open areas.

Immediately following the attack, the Israeli army quickly retaliated and launched both land and air strikes on Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, as Defense Minister, Ehud Barak ordered the army to respond quickly and said he held the Hamas resistance group responsible for the violence.

ISRAEL INTERCEPTS GAZA ROCKET
Meanwhile, press reports said on Thursday that Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defense system intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza for the first time over the city of Al-Khalil.

AFP quoted a military source as confirming the rocket had been brought down by the unique multi-million-dollar system, which came into operation on March 27, the first time a short-range interceptor has been deployed anywhere.