A military spokeswoman told AFP that the Palestinian fighters had fired five rockets but only one struck the occupied lands, causing no harm or damage.

Earlier, an AFP photographer on the Israeli side of the Gaza border said all was quiet at daybreak.

The spokeswoman said the total number of rockets which had struck southern occupied lands since the escalation began on Wednesday was "over 60", with five of them hitting populated areas.

Overnight, Israeli warplanes carried out raids on 29 targets in Gaza, hitting bases used by fighters from Gaza's ruling Hamas movement and from Islamic Jihad's armed wing, the Quds Brigade, which has so far claimed all of the rocket fire.

The strikes, which began at around 2030 GMT Wednesday, prompted a sharp rebuke from Palestinian Authority Chief Mahmud Abbas to demand the Zionist regime end its military "escalation".

By Wednesday evening, Islamic Jihad claimed it had fired at least 90 rockets at occupied lands in response to an air strike on Tuesday that killed three of its members in southern Gaza.

There have been no reports of casualties on either side.

Despite the escalation, schools were operating as normal on Thursday, the military said.

NJF/NJF