The Israel-Gaza border fell quiet on Monday after a botched Israeli undercover operation in the Gaza Strip led to fighting that killed a Hamas commander, six other Palestinian militants and an Israeli colonel.
Palestinians fired 17 rockets into southern Israel in a response to the incursion and air strikes, which Hamas, the dominant armed group in Gaza, said were intended to cover the retreat of a car used by the Israeli troops.
There were no reports of injuries or damage in Israel, but the military said a lieutenant-colonel, identified only as “M’’, had been killed in the raid and another officer wounded.
Hamas said the Israeli actions dealt a blow to Egyptian, Qatari and UN efforts to broker a long-term ceasefire between the Palestinian group and Israel and ease an Israeli blockade that has deepened economic hardship in Gaza.
But neither side appeared eager to pursue broader conflict.
Hamas received 15 million dollars in Qatari-donated cash via Israel on Nov. 2, to pay for civil…
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