JERUSALEM, May 16 (Xinhua) -- A machinegun fire from Gaza hit a building in the southern town of Sderot in Israeli territory on Wednesday, shortly after the Israeli military fired artillery at a Hamas position.

A military spokesperson said in a statement that militants in Gaza fired towards a home in Sderot with a heavy machinegun. No injuries were reported and a light damage was reported.

The spokesperson said the military considers the incident to be "serious." No organization immediately assumed responsibility for the fire but the spokesperson said that the military holds Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian movement that runs Gaza, "responsible for everything happening in and around the Gaza Strip."

Also on Wednesday, militants in Gaza fired towards Israeli forces before an Israeli tank retaliated by firing at a Hamas post.

The recent escalation came after Israeli forces killed at least 60 Palestinians during protests along the fence separating the besieged Palestinian enclave and Israel on Monday and Tuesday, according to Palestinian accounts.