30/05/2018 (Agence Europe) – "The rocket and mortar fire by Palestinian militants from Gaza towards Israel must stop immediately", the spokesperson for the European External Action Service stated on Tuesday 29 May. "Indiscriminate attacks against civilians are completely unacceptable under any circumstances", the spokesperson added in a press release. The armed branches of the Palestinian Islamist movements Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have claimed the mortar fire. In retaliation, Israel hit around thirty targets in the Gaza Strip. The EEAS spokesperson warned that a de-escalation of "this dangerous situation" is "urgently needed to ensure that civilians' lives are protected", and added that "the cycle of violence and despair has to be broken with a genuine political process". (CG)