RAMALLAH, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- The Palestinian government on Sunday blamed Israel for the latest military "escalation" in the Gaza Strip that killed two Palestinians.

"The Israeli aggression on Gaza Strip is a dangerous escalation," Palestinian government spokesperson Yousef Al-Mahmoud said in a press statement.

Two Palestinians were killed later on Saturday after Israeli artillery fired at a group of young people in east Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian medical sources.

The Israeli strike was part of a large-scale attack launched by Israeli military on 18 targets in Gaza overnight Sunday, according to an Israeli military statement.

It was in response to rocket fire from Gaza and the blast of an explosive device attached to the fence between Israel and Gaza on Saturday, in which four Israeli soldiers were wounded.

Al-Mahmoud called the latest incidents as part of "a continued escalation policy that the (Israeli) occupation takes against the Palestinian people and lands."

Moreover, Al-Mahmoud stressed the importance of realizing the internal Palestinian reconciliation in order to counter the Israeli practices.

Israel has imposed a tight blockade on the Gaza Strip since 2007 and considered it a hostile entity right after Hamas militia violently seized control of the territory and routed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' security forces.