Palestinian militants on Thursday continued firing rockets into Israel despite constant Israeli bombing of the Gaza Strip.

Ezz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Islamic Hamas movement, claimed responsibility for launching tens of rockets into Israel since Thursday morning, including Soviet-made Grad missiles.

The armed wing of the less influential Islamic Jihad movement also claimed responsibility for several attacks.

Meanwhile, Israeli sources said the latest Palestinian attacks apparently caused casualties after a Grad rocket hit an eight-story building in Western Negev town of Ashdod, more than 30 km to the north of Gaza Strip.

The sources added that more than 40 rockets have been fired from Gaza Strip since the morning.

On the other hand, 20 Palestinians were wounded at noon when Israeli airplanes struck for a second time two houses in southern Gaza city and central Gaza Strip.

The houses, belonging to Hamas militants, were part of six homes that the Israeli planes have bombed over the night.

The intensive Israeli shelling into Gaza at Wednesday night and early Thursday killed five Palestinians and destroyed the buildings of the parliament, the justice and the education ministries.