Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Peter Lerner confirmed via Twitter that Israeli military aircraft had struck “four terrorist locations in southern Gaza,” in response to rockets fired by armed factions based in the Gaza stip.

Residents of Gaza told Reuters that Israeli air force strikes targeted Islamic Jihad’s training locations, which are developed on or near former Israeli settlements. The settlements were evacuated in 2006 when Israel withdrew from Gaza. Lt. Lerner charged on CNN yesterday that Hamas was ultimately responsible for all attacks originating from the strip. No casualties have been reported in Ashdod, Gaza.

"What happened yesterday (the rocket fire) goes against the interests of the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip and against our national interests,” an unidentified Hamas source told Ynet. "We consider the rocket fire to be a dangerous thing."

Ynet reported that Hamas has arrested the militants responsible for the rocket attacks. Israeli media has reported speculatively that infighting between members of the Islamic Jihad movement may have precipitated the rocket fire which led to Israel’s airstrikes.

Rockets have been fired from Gaza three times since the end a cease fire was agreed following Israel’s 50 day war in Gaza last summer dubbed Operation Protective Edge. More than 2,000 Palestinians died during the war, most of them civilians, including 490 children according to Palestinian health officials. Seventy-three died on the Israeli side; a majority were Israeli soldiers.

The UN Special Coordinator (UNSCO) issued a report Monday saying the ceasefire that ended the latest war remains "perilously fragile," Ma’an News Agency reported.

Al Jazeera reports that two motors have been fired from Gaza since August’s cease fire, and that Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes Wednesday are the third since end of its Operation Protective Edge.

"It would be best for Hamas to work to rein in any attempt to fire at Israel or any provocation against Israel, otherwise we will have to act with greater power," Israeli Defense Minister told Ya'alon told Ynet.