Following rocket fire from Palestinian militants in the area toward southern Israel, the Israeli military launched airstrikes in the Gaza Strip.
The military reported that five of the six rockets fired from Gaza at dawn were successfully shot down. Soon after, two Hamas militant sites were attacked by Israeli warplanes, according to the Israeli military.
There have been no reported injuries.
The exchange comes after a Wednesday Israeli raid that killed 11 Palestinians in Nablus, in the occupied West Bank.
The militant organizations Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, which governs Gaza, have both threatened retaliation.
Israeli forces allegedly carried out an operation to apprehend three wanted Palestinian militants when they entered the bustling old city of Nablus. But they soon found themselves in a shootout with armed combatants.
Three elderly men were among the dead, along with a number of civilians.
Many of the injured, many with bullet wounds, have been treated in local hospitals with difficulty.
The US has made efforts to reduce the spiraling tensions and has stated that it is "extremely concerned" about the levels of violence.
