Israel launched air strikes on Gaza Friday in response to militant rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, as tensions rise following the deadliest army raid on the occupied West Bank in years.
“The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) is currently striking in the Gaza strip,” an army statement read.
Security sources in Hamas Islamist-controlled Gaza told AFP there had been 15 strikes targeting militant sites, with no injuries reported.
The Israeli army said an initial two rockets were fired from Gaza towards Israel around midnight (2200 GMT).
Shortly after Israel launched retaliatory strikes several hours later, another three rockets were fired from the strip, the army said.
Another round of air-raid sirens then sounded in southern Israel.
Most of the Gaza rockets were intercepted by Israel’s air defence system, the army said, adding that one landed in an open area and another fell inside Gaza.
No group has claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, but Hamas and Islamic Jihad had earlier vowed to respond to Thursday’s army raid in Jenin, which killed nine Palestinians.
Israel described the raid as a “counter-terrorism” operation.
