Palestinian groups fire rockets into the sea

REUTERS/Mohammed Salem

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Palestinian armed groups staged military exercises in Gaza on Tuesday, including firing rockets into the sea, to mark the anniversary of the start of the 2008 conflict with Israel. The goal of the exercise, the first of its kind, is to "strengthen the skills of combatants" and demonstrate the "unity" of armed groups in Gaza, said the spokesman, whose face was almost entirely covered by a traditional headscarf. Hamas, the Islamist group that has controlled Gaza since 2007, was also taking part.