Tel Aviv -
Israeli jets carried out at least three attacks in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, targeting militants who had fired rockets at Israel, the military said.
Military sources reported a first strike which killed an Islamic Jihad combatant.
Shortly after that strike, two rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel.
A statement by the Israeli military said the air force then carried out two further air attacks aimed at those who had fired the rockets and that the targets had been hit.
The rockets and retaliatory attacks come despite a nominal ceasefire between Israeli and Palestinian forces which was broken Monday when several rockets were fired from Gaza.
The latest round of clashes broke out Thursday after a series of bomb attacks in the south of Israel. Almost 150 rockets and grenades have been fired into Israel, whose air force has flown 30 sorties against Palestinian territories.
Including the original attacks, Israel has suffered nine dead and around 50 wounded. Sixteen Palestinians were reported to have been killed, and more than 50 injured.
Islamic Jihad, a smaller militant group than Hamas, has been blamed by Israel for breaking ceasefires earlier this year. - Sapa-dpa