[Ma'an] The military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) claimed responsibility for firing a rocket-propelled grenade at Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Saturday. The Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades said in a statement to Ma'an that a fierce clash erupted east of Beit Hanoun when Israeli forces heavily returned fire. Both sides exchanged machine-gun fire, the wing said.
The statement added that the shelling came "as a natural response to the occupation's crimes, and on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the PFLP's founding."
An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not aware of that incident, but confirmed the military's involvement in separate clashes in central Gaza that medics say left one Palestinian dead.
On Wednesday, Israeli tanks and a bulldozer operated in Palestinian territory near the city of Khan Younis in Gaza.