Gaza
Israeli soldiers stand on an armoured personnel carrier (APC) outside the central Gaza Strip as they fire a 120 mm mortar shell towards Gaza July 31, 2014.Reuters

The Israeli Air Force warplanes began carrying out airstrikes on targets in Gaza early on Wednesday, after a rocket fired from the region fell in southern Israel on Tuesday.  

The Israeli Army held Hamas responsible for the rocket attack, though the group has not claimed responsibility for it as yet. 

While the rocket explosion in Israel's Gan Yavne region did not cause casualties or injuries, Israel responded with severity after the attack marred a month-long quiet in the troubled region. 

Israeli Defense Forces Spokesman Peter Lerner said via Twitter that the IDF targeted four sites in southern Gaza, identified as terror infrastructures. 

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon on Wednesday warned that Gaza would pay a heavy price if the rocket attacks continued, The Times of Israel reported. 

Tuesday's rocket attack was the first mid-range rocket attack since the ceasefire last August, after a 50-day war with Gaza had left thousands dead, with most causalties being women and children, according to human rights groups. 

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