Israel reprisal attacks on Gaza

Israel's attacks came in response to the firing of dozens of rockets and mortars at Israel from the Gaza Strip over the weekend. Two of the rockets targeted Beersheba, a southern Israeli city which is located deep within the country.

"Following constant rocket fire at Israeli communities in the south, Israeli aircraft targeted 10 terror sites in the central and southern Gaza Strip," the military said in a statement.

There have been no reports of casualities.

Recent flareup

The attacks are the latest in a recent upsurge in violence in the region, which began in the middle of June when Israel cracked down on the Islamist political group Hamas after accusing them of abducting three Israeli teenagers. Last week the lifeless bodies of the three youths were found in the West Bank.

One day after their burial on Tuesday, a Palestinian teenager, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, was kidnapped. Shortly thereafter, his burned body was found in a forest nearby Jerusalem.

Khdeir's death has inspired violent protests in Jerusalem and several villages in northern Israel over the past few days. Police said that they arrested 22 Arab Israelis in clashes on Saturday.

Revenge act?

Many of the demonstrators were under the belief that Khdeir's death was an act of revenge by far-right Israeli citizens. However, no arrests relating to his death have yet to be announced and the circumstances surrounding his murder are still being investigated.

During the protests, police also allegedly beat an American citizen who was Khdeir's cousin, an act which has since been condemned by the US government.

Early on Sunday, Palestinian police said that Jerusalem and northern Israel were generally peaceful and free from further protests.

However, on Sunday morning a group of Palestinians attacked and wounded a Jewish woman in Jerusalem. Police said that her husband fired a weapon and the attackers fled.

ats,tj (Reuters, AP)