Seventeen Palestinians including a top militant's son were killed in an Israeli raid in eastern Gaza earlier on Tuesday, and one civilian from Ecuador was shot dead by a Palestinian sniper on an Israeli border farm.
The latest airstrike targeted Palestinian militants who fired rockets at Israeli territory near the Gaza town of Beit Hanoun. Israeli military said that Palestinians fired at least seven rockets and 25 mortar shells during the day, wounding at least four Israeli citizens.
Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas's armed wing, claimed responsibility for firing rockets into Israel on Tuesday for the first time since the Islamist group took control of the Gaza Strip in June last year.
An Israeli army spokesman said the ground operation in eastern Gaza began after several groups of Palestinian gunmen were spotted near the border, and one of the groups fired a rocket towards Israel.
One of those killed by Israeli forces was Hussam Zahar, the 24-year-old son of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar.
According to Israel, there are around 20,000 militants active in the Gaza Strip, many receiving regular financial and logistical support from abroad. In the last two years, Israeli military and secret services have killed about 1,000 Palestinian fighters.
The Palestinian Authority has condemned the Israeli operation as a "slap in the face" to recent peace efforts promoted by U.S. President George W. Bush.
