Israeli forces hit Gaza with air strikes

By the CNN Wire Staff

The last few weeks has seen an increase in cross-border rocket fire from Gaza and retaliatory airstrikes by Israel.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

IDF says attacks were carried out "in response to rocket fire overnight"
Hamas spokesman says there were three airstrikes; Israel says there were two
Targets were "terror activity center" and "Hamas tunnel," IDF spokeswoman says

RELATED TOPICS

Gaza City (CNN) -- Israeli forces carried out air strikes late Thursday in Gaza, but there were no reports of casualties, Israeli officials and a Hamas official concurred Friday.

Three attacks were carried out, a Palestinian official said, but a spokeswoman for the Israel Defense Forces confirmed only two.

The air strikes occurred at about 11:30 p.m. in two open areas and an empty training field used by the Hamas military wing, a Hamas security spokesman said. The training field, which had been hit twice before, is located east of Gaza City. The other two sites are located near the towns of Jabaliya in the north and Rafah in the south, the Hamas spokesman said.

The Israeli Air Force confirmed "direct hits" on a "terror activity center in the northern Gaza Strip and a Hamas tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip," the IDF spokeswoman said.

The attacks were carried out "in response to rocket fire overnight," she said. Rockets and mortars fired from Gaza landed in the southern Israeli regions of Eshkol and Sdot Negev on Wednesday and Thursday, according to an IDF news release. No one was hurt in the attacks, the IDF spokeswoman said.

The IDF said on its website that 10 rockets and mortar shells were launched into southern Israel during the first week of 2011.

CNN's Ben Brumfield and Talal Aburahma contributed to this story