Israel bombs Gaza for first time since bloody August assault

Israeli fighter jets bombed the Gaza Strip on Friday, the first assault on the besieged Palestinian enclave since August.

The move was allegedly in response to rockets fired towards Israel, one of which was intercepted while three others "exploded inside the Gaza Strip", Israeli forces said on Thursday.

The rocket launches were the first since a three-day massacre in August when 49 Palestinians were killed after an Israeli assault on the impoverished Gaza strip.

"IDF fighter jets targeted overnight (Friday) an underground military site in the Gaza Strip used as a rocket developing and manufacturing complex," the Israeli army alleged, claiming it belonged to Gaza.

The New Arab cannot independently confirm the location of the strikes, but Israel has repeatedly targeted civilian infrastructure and homes in the past.

Gaza, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, has been under Israeli blockade since 2007 when Iran-backed Hamas seized power from the secular Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Thursday's launches, which came hours after a final vote count gave former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies a clear majority in parliament after elections.

Israeli forces have in recent months carried out violent raids across the West Bank and detained dozens of Palestinians detained in the occupied territories. 

At least 34 Palestinians and three Israelis have been killed in the occupied Palestinian territory since the start of October, according to an AFP tally.