Israeli F16 warplanes and tanks had carried out late on Friday night five successive air and ground strikes on targets in eastern and southern Gaza Strip, wounding five people, medics and witnesses said.

The witnesses said that Israeli F16 warplane fired two missiles, while tanks fired two shells that all landed at empty zones east and northeast of Gaza City, adding that five people were injured.

Paramedics said that local ambulances took five Palestinians from eastern Gaza for medical treatment at Gaza hospitals after they were injured. They said that the five have been lightly injured.

Meanwhile, Hamas security sources said that Israeli F16 warplanes carried out a fifth air raid on a post that belonging to militants from Islamic Hamas movement in southern Gaza Strip, no injuries were reported.

The five successive Israeli air and ground strikes came hours after militants from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) fired two Russian-made Grad missiles on Thursday night from Gaza at southern Israel.

The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) had claimed responsibility earlier on Friday for launching four mortar Shells at Israeli army vehicles near the borders between southeast Gaza Strip and Israel. No injuries were reported.

Israeli Radio reported earlier on Friday that two Grad rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed on Thursday night at an opened area in the Negev in southern Israel causing no harms or casualties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has threatened two days ago that the Israeli army would respond to every single rocket that militants from Gaza fire at Israel.

The escalation of violence between Israel and Gaza militant had mounted as the Palestinians marked on December 27 one year anniversary for launching a 22-day Israeli military offensive on the Gaza Strip that left more than 1,400 people killed.

(Xinhua News Agency January 2, 2010)