Israeli fighter jets Saturday fired a missile on Gaza, injuring three people, one of whom was in serious condition, Palestinian medics said.

The raid, confirmed by the Israeli army, occurred in Beit Hanun in the northern Gaza Strip, doctors and witnesses said.

The Israeli army said in a statement that the raid was aimed at preventing further rocket attacks in its territory, adding that the three men had fired several rockets in the past.

The last rocket fired by the group landed Thursday in an abandoned building in Israel's Shaar Hanegev area.

Hours later, an Israeli air force plane fired a missile at a Hamas target in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza, according to residents of the camp.

The latest wave of attacks began on August 18 when eight Israelis, including six civilians, were killed in an attack in the Eilat region of southern Israel, near the Egyptian border.