Israeli jets attacked over 140 of strategic targets overnight belonging to Hamas militants in the Palestinian enclave of Gaza under their control, the Israel Defense Forces said Thursday.

The airstrikes allegedly came in retaliation for a barrage of 150 rockets fired into Israel on Wednesday evening, of which 25 were shot down by the Iron Dome defense system.

"We responded by targeting a cement factory used by Hamas to build terror tunnels, a maritime terror tunnel shaft, & several terror sites in military compounds," the IDF tweeted.

IDF also reported that an Israeli fighter jet had fired towards what it called a "rocket launching squad" in Gaza.

​A spokesman for the Gaza health authority said earlier that a Palestinian died in Gaza on Wednesday after Israel shelled the exclave allegedly in retaliation to rockets fired into its territory.

Previously, Israel accused militants in the Hamas-administered exclave of launching around 70 rockets into its territory. Most of them hit open areas.

The military said it had responded by launching an airstrike at a vehicle allegedly used by another "rocket launching squad" in Gaza to fire a rocket at Israel.

Sputnik