Armed clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants continued for two days, killing 24 Palestinians and injuring 203, foreign media reported.
The Israeli military said in a statement that it attacked the "Palestinian Islamic Jihad" (PIJ) base in the Gaza Strip and the west bank of the Jordan River using fighters and special forces.
The Palestinian health ministry said Israeli airstrikes destroyed many buildings in Gaza, killing at least 24 people, including six children, and injuring 203.
Five of the children who died were reportedly shot and killed by rockets while in a refugee camp in Zavala, northern Gaza.
Israel claimed that "it was not a rocket launched by us, but a rocket fired from there by an armed group malfunctioned and caused the accident."
Enlarging an image
Israeli forces claimed to have neutralized senior leadership of PIJ militants in Gaza in two days of airstrikes, AFP reported.
PIJ counterattacked by firing 400 rockets at Israel's capital, Tel Aviv and other places.
Part of the rocket landed on the southern city of Sterot, but no casualties were reported.
The Israeli army explained that most of the rockets were intercepted with 'Iron Dome', a low-altitude air defense system.
The U.S. State Department said it fully supports the Israeli ally's right to self-defense, but urged both sides to avoid escalation.
The armed conflict between Israel and Palestine is the largest since the 11-day war in May last year, in which more than 250 people were killed in Palestine and 13 in Israel.
The Israeli military has predicted that the operation could last more than a week.
(Photo = Getty Images Korea)