Israel Hits Targets in Gaza Strip

Explosions continued until late Tuesday, with the Israeli army reporting sirens being triggered in a number of locations near the border.

Tuesday's attacks came after weeks of deadly unrest along the border between Israel and the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

Three Israeli soldiers were wounded by projectiles fired from Gaza, one moderately and two lightly, said the Israeli army. There were no immediate reports of any casualties in the strip.

In a rare joint statement, Hamas and Islamic Jihad resistance movements declared shared responsibility for the attacks, saying it was in retaliation for Israeli attacks targeting their positions.

Three members of Islamic Jihad were killed in an Israeli strike on Sunday, with the group vowing revenge.

Early Tuesday, some 28 mortar shells were reportedly fired toward Israel from the Gaza Strip, with Israel claiming most were intercepted by its air defense systems but leaving residents in the area on high alert and remaining close to bomb shelters.

It was the largest barrage fired from Gaza targeting occupied territories since a 2014 war.

The UN Security Council is expected to meet Wednesday to discuss the attacks on Israel, following a request by the United States for an urgent meeting.

"The Security Council should be outraged and respond to this latest bout of violence directed at innocent Israeli civilians," US ambassador Nikki Haley said.

Kuwait, a non-permanent council member that represents Arab countries, circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling "for the consideration of measures to guarantee the safety and protection of the Palestinian civilian population" in the occupied Palestinian territories and the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the Israeli army would "respond to these attacks powerfully."

Shortly after he spoke, Israel's military began carrying out airstrikes in Gaza. Explosions shook the Palestinian enclave and smoke rose from areas hit.

At least seven Hamas and Islamic Jihad bases were struck, security sources in Gaza said, AFP reported.

Later in the day, further rockets or mortar rounds were intercepted by Israel from Gaza, the army claimed.

Israel's military said it responded by hitting more than 35 "military targets", including a tunnel that stretched into its territory, weapons storage facilities and militant bases.

Israel's military said it was not seeking an escalation, but warned Hamas, with whom it has fought three wars since 2008.

The Islamic Jihad is the second-largest resistance movement in Gaza after Hamas, which controls the enclave.

Hamas said in a statement "what the resistance carried out this morning comes within the framework of the natural right to defend our people".

"The Israeli occupation bears full responsibility for any upcoming escalation."

Separately in the morning, Palestinians launched boats from Gaza to protest Israel's blockade in a peaceful demonstration.

Israeli forces later stopped and seized the main protest boat as it approached the blockade limit at nine nautical miles, while others were said to have turned back.