The Israeli military said Wednesday it had successfully launched air strikes on "a significant number of long range rocket sites" owned by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The raids on rocket sites with a range of over 40 km "deals a significant blow to the ... underground rocket launching capabilities and munitions ware houses owned by Hamas and other terror organizations," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.

"The aim of targeting these sites is to hamper their rocket launching weapons build-up capabilities," the statement said.

The announcement came not long after an Israeli air strike hit a vehicle in the Gaza Strip, killing four people, including head of the Hamas military wing Ahmed al-Jaabari.

Military sources said the sites that have been targeted "were located by distinct intelligence and done so with specific planning over the past number of months."

The sources also accused Hamas of using the civilian population in the Gaza Strip as a human shield, saying "a significant number of munitions depots are within civilian, residential buildings."

There has been so far no comments from Hamas on Israel's airstrikes against its long-range rocket capabilities. The Israeli military has warned earlier that Hamas' long-range rockets can reach as far as far Israel's largest city of Tel Aviv.