Speaking to his Cabinet on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the attack.
"The global jihad is stepping up its efforts to harm us, and we will continue to act against it aggressively and powerfully, both reactively and pre-emptively," Netanyahu said.
During the last few days of violence, Palestinians fired more than 40 rockets at Israeli communities near Gaza, the military said. The salvos damaged property, but nobody was hurt.
Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for the barrages because it rules Gaza. The two have largely maintained an unwritten truce since a brief war nearly four years ago, but flare-ups occur occasionally.
In a separate development, the U.N.'s Middle East envoy harshly criticized attacks blamed on Israeli settlers against Palestinian farmers and their olive trees in the West Bank.
In a statement, Robert Serry said Israel must do more to protect Palestinians and their property in the West Bank. The West Bank, claimed by the Palestinians for a state, is under Israeli military rule.
"These acts are reprehensible, and I call on the government of Israel to bring those responsible to justice," Serry said.
The Israeli military said security forces were taking "every measure to ensure the safety and security of the local residents."
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Additional reporting by Maamoun Youssef in Cairo and Diaa Hadid in Jerusalem. Follow Hadid on twitter.com/diaahadid
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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