Weekly anti-Israel rallies called off amid Gaza-Israel tension: organizer

Gaza, march 15 (Xinhua) -- The Highest Commission of the march of Return and Breaking the Siege announced on Friday that it decided to call off the weekly anti-Israel rallies and protests in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel.

The commission said in an emailed press statement that the postponement of the marches and rallies in eastern Gaza Strip was made due to the growing tension with Israel in the Gaza Strip.

"Due to the public interest, the commission decided to postpone its activities today exceptionally for the sake of the Palestinian people and in preparation for the Land Day and the one-year anniversary for the marches on march 30," said the statement.

It stressed that "this doesn't mean that marches of return have permanently stopped or retreated," adding "the marches of return will go on until it achieves its goals, mainly ending the unfair Israeli siege."

It is the first time since the outbreak of the rallies and protests on march 30 last year that the commission postpones its weekly activities.

Overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out intensive airstrikes on Gaza Strip military targets in response to two rockets fired from the coastal enclave into Tel Aviv in central Israel earlier on Thursday night, security officials and eyewitnesses said.

They said that Israeli drones, helicopters and F16 war jets hovered over the Gaza Strip right after the Israeli media reported that two rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in Tel Aviv in central Israel, casing no damages or injuries.

Eyewitnesses also said that several powerful explosions were heard in southern Gaza Strip and in Gaza city's southern suburbs, while security officials said that several military facilities were targeted and no injuries were reported.

An Israeli army spokesman said in a press statement that Israeli air forces warplanes have been carrying out airstrikes on military facilities in the Gaza Strip in response to the two rockets fired from Gaza into Tel Aviv in central Israel.

On Friday, the Israeli army said in an official statement that its warplanes hit around 100 targets that belong to several militant groups, mainly Hamas armed wing. No injuries were reported, but severe damages were caused to the targeted posts.

No one claimed responsibility for the two rockets attacks. Various Gaza-based armed groups, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad, denied in separate statements that their militants were responsible for firing the two rockets.