Rocket fired from Gaza hits house in Israel, seven wounded

Seven people were wounded in the early hours of Monday when a rocket fired from Gaza hit a house in central Israel, Patria reports.

The incident occurred just two weeks after two rockets were fired at Tel Aviv, to which Israel responded with airstrikes on about a hundred military targets in Gaza, including an underground rocket factory, a training ground, and a logistics headquarters, CNN writes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, currently in Washington preparing for a meeting with President Trump, announced he would cut short his visit to the United States due to this morning's attack. He also canceled his participation in the AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee) conference currently being held in Washington. 'We will respond forcefully to this criminal attack on the State of Israel,' the Israeli prime minister announced his reaction.

Gaza is controlled by the militant Palestinian group Hamas, which has come under a wave of international criticism over the harsh conditions in which the population lives in that part of the Palestinian territory. The Israeli-Egyptian blockade and sanctions by Hamas's rival, the Palestinian Authority, as well as the governance of the Hamas administration, have only deepened the already severe economic crisis, CNN writes.

The attacks, for which no one has yet claimed responsibility, come at an extremely sensitive time for Israel, which is preparing for general elections to be held in two weeks. Prime Minister Netanyahu, who is fighting for re-election, is facing criticism from opponents over, among other things, an ineffective response to attacks from Gaza, Patria reports.