The Islamic Resistance Movement ( Hamas) confirmed on Sunday that its two militants were killed in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza when they were trying to fire a rocket on southern Israel.

A spokesman of Hamas' armed wing Izzel-Deen al-Qassam Brigades who only identified himself as Abu Obaida told reporters that the group's two militants were killed and a third was critically wounded in the Israeli air strike on al-Majdal town in the northern Gaza Strip early on Sunday.

Abu Obaida also defended firing rockets on Israel, which he said was "a natural reaction to the horrible Israeli massacres committed against our defenseless people."

The masked spokesman also said that the group's militants was " fearless of the Israeli threats to target them."

Meanwhile, Hamas lawmaker Mushier al-Masri said, "Israel's aggression will not stop the resistance factions from responding in any means they like and the options for them are now open especially after the enemy targeted children and women."

Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli man was critically injured when a homemade rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed on an area close to the southern Israeli city of Sderot.

Over the weekend, Palestinian militants fired more than 30 rockets onto Israel from Gaza.

Hamas called off a 16-month-old truce with Israel on Friday after seven Palestinians of the same family were killed in an Israeli shelling on a Gaza beach.

Hamas, bent on Israel's destruct, took control of the Palestinian legislature and the government after a landslide election victory in January.

Source: Xinhua