At least four Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip were injured on Sunday by a barrage of homemade rockets fired by Hamas militants, Israel Radio reported.

The radio quoted an Israeli army spokesman as saying that four settlers in the Gaza settlement of Naveh Dekalim sustained light or moderate wounds and were taken to an Israeli hospital outside the Gaza Strip.

Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, saying its militants launched several homemade mortar shells on the settlement in revenge for the Israeli aggressions against the Palestinians.

Palestinian militant rocket attacks on Israeli targets have dropped sharply since Palestinian and Israeli leaders declared a ceasefire in February and major Palestinian militant groups were persuaded to abide by it.

But new violence flared up last week and Palestinian militant attacks killed five Israelis in separate incidents, further puncturing the shaky truce deal.

Militant groups including Hamas have stepped up rocket attacks while Israel has renewed raids and targeted killings, vowing a " harsh" response to militant attacks.

Source: Xinhua