ISRAEL launched air strikes at alleged terror sites in Gaza today as Palestinian rockets were fired into its territory.

At least 11 Palestinians were injured. No Israeli casualties were reported from the rocket fire, for which the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility.

Tensions have continued to rise after Israel’s brutal retaliation for the murder of three Jewish teenagers in the West Bank, which has seen a sweeping assault on members of the Hamas resistance group in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu holds Hamas responsible for the murders, although he has offered no evidence and ignored both claims from a Palestinian group affiliated to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant that it was behind them and a Hamas denial of involvement.

The murders have caused outrage in Israel, prompting calls from Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman for the reoccupation of Gaza.

Jerusalem has also seen the revenge murder of Palestinian teenager Abu Khudair, which sparked riots that raged all through Wednesday and wounded 232 people.

Palestinian youths clashed again with Israeli police yesterday, throwing stones and Molotov cocktails while security forces responded with tear gas and stun grenades.

Abu’s funeral was delayed yesterday as his post-mortem continued.

Mr Netanyahu has called for a “swift probe” of the “reprehensible murder,” though police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said investigators needed to determine if it was “criminal or nationalistic.”

Israel beefed up its armed forces on the Gaza border yesterday but military chiefs denied this was a prelude to an attack on the blockaded territory.

“Everything we are doing is to de-escalate the situation,” Lieutenant-Colonel Peter Lerner said, while warning people to “prepare for actions that can develop if they do not de-escalate” it.

Hamas spokesmen said they had attempted to approach Israel through “outside mediators” to discuss measures to restore a ceasefire it agreed in 2012, which Israel has repeatedly broken.

“Once Israel stops attacking Gaza we are willing to immediately preserve the truce,” said one who wished to remain anonymous.