Israeli warplanes carried out five raids on the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, August 16, wounding five people, Palestinian medics said.

According to the AP, the raids came after an Israeli police spokeswoman said that at least one rocket had been fired from the Gaza Strip at the southern town of Beersheva, without causing casualties.

The Palestinian sources said the first raid targeted Zeitun to the east of Gaza City, seriously wounding three people, while two other Palestinians were wounded in two separate raids, also east of the city. Two further raids were carried out east of Khan Yunis and against a tunnel dug under the border with Egypt near Rafah, both in the south of the Strip, but no one was wounded.

An Israeli military spokeswoman did not immediately confirm or deny the attacks. Israeli public radio said a second rocket had been fired at Beersheva but it was not immediately clear where it landed.

Since last month there has been an increase in the number of rockets fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip, which are usually followed by Israeli air force reprisal raids.