Israeli aircraft bombed targets in southern Gaza after dark on Tuesday in response to a rocket attack which hit the Israeli port city of Ashkelon earlier in the day, damaging cars.

There were no immediate reports of casualties after Israeli warplanes struck at smuggling tunnels connecting Gaza with Egypt on Tuesday and fired a missile at a training camp of the armed wing of the Islamist Hamas movement, which rules the enclave.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had warned Hamas of a harsh response to any further rocket fire from Gaza, although defence minister, Ehud Barak, has said he does not foresee a new all-out offensive.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket attack on Ashkelon from Palestinian armed factions in the Strip, still reeling from the Israeli offensive. Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin said the rocket fired from Gaza struck an open area in the heart of a residential neighbourhood.