Israeli Air Force (IAF) aircraft hit targets in the Gaza Strip Tuesday afternoon, in the wake of several salvos of Kassam and mortar fire into southern Israel earlier in the day, the army said.

"IAF aircraft targeted a terrorist squad in the central Gaza Strip. The squad targeted was responsible for the rockets fired at Israel over the past few hours. A hit was confirmed," according to an army statement sent to Xinhua.

Israel Radio quoted Palestinian sources as saying that one person was hurt in the latest Israeli counterstrike.

"Rocket crews fired eight missiles in last few hours, and three overnight, prompting an air force counterstrike," the Israel Defense Forces spokesman told Xinhua.

Four were aimed towards the nearby city of Ashkelon, although they fell in open areas.

But meanwhile, the daily routine for residents of the dozens of towns, kibbutz communal farms and villages located within a radius of 5 km to 7 km from Gaza came to a halt as authorities instructed them via public address systems to seek cover in bomb shelters and other reinforced areas.

Security and municipal officials cancelled end-of-school-year events scheduled on Tuesday evening at several other communities as well, according to locals, affecting the regions with roughly 10,000 residents.

Adele Raemer, a resident of Kibbutz Nirim, which abut Gaza, told Xinhua that "so far I'm still sitting in my mamad, awaiting an all-clear message."

"Mamad" is a Hebrew acronym for a protected space. Building codes require all new and retrofitted homes to include such thick- walled concrete safety rooms, which are reinforced against explosions from rocket attacks, or other catastrophic events.

"There is supposed to be a big, festive 'Happening' tonight, (I am meant to be teaching balloon twisting) but for now, my community, at any rate, have been sent to our safe rooms until further notice," Raemer said in a Facebook post. "While sitting here, I heard a Red Alert, and then the distant fall. I hope the plans for this evening are not ruined."

"My son is on his way home from the army for a few hours. Thanks to this tension, I almost wish he were staying on his base, " she said on a group page, shared with other residents of affected communities adjacent to the coastal enclave.

Due to their proximity to Gaza, residents have only 15 seconds to reach safety between when the alert sounds and the missile hits.

During the past months of 2012, Palestinians in Gaza fired over 290 rockets at Israel, the army said, adding that the military " will not tolerate any attempt by terrorist groups to target Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers, and will continue to operate against those who use terror against the State of Israel."

The IDF holds Hamas "solely responsible for any terrorist activity emanating from the Gaza Strip."

The new round of violence between Israel and Gaza militants escalated over the past 24 hours, with intermittent rocket fire by militants followed by Israeli suppression air strikes.

Hamas' military Izadeen al-Kassam Brigades on Tuesday claimed responsibility for firing the rockets overnight Monday, which exploded in open areas and caused no casualties or damage. Officials here said the attack was highly unusual for Hamas, which has avoided lobbing rockets toward Israel for many months.

Prior to that attack, Israeli aircraft carried out several strikes against militant sites and rocket launching squads throughout the coastal enclave, in which four Palestinian were killed and five others were wounded, according to Palestinian medical sources.

In the most recent strike, aircraft hit militants planting explosives near the border with central Gaza, while earlier strikes targeted Islamic Jihad operatives.