At least seven Palestinians were wounded Saturday afternoon in an Israeli bombardment at northern Gaza Strip, witnesses and medical sources said.

Among the wounded, a 17-year-old boy was in a critical condition, and a woman and her five-year-old child sustained injuries in the Israeli tank shelling targeting Beit Hanoun town in northern Gaza Strip, medical sources said.

Witnesses said that Israeli tanks and artillery have fired rounds into the area every now and then since the morning.

The shelling came in respond to Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities.

An armed wing of the Islamic Jihad (Holy War) claimed responsibility for firing four rockets into southern Israeli communities.

Saraya al-Quds Brigades claimed that the rockets landed at open areas in Ashkelon city. There was no report of injury in the attack.

Unlike all other factions, the Islamic Jihad did not run in the January legislative elections, instead, it increased attacks on Israel.

Source: Xinhua