Israel carried out its first attack on the Gaza Strip a few months before a rocket was fired into the Palestinian territory as the situation escalated after a weekend of violence in Jerusalem's sanctuary.
A warning signal was sounded in southern Israel on Monday night after a rocket was fired at an Islamist-controlled group, Hamas, the first such incident since the beginning of January. Projectile crashed at sea near Tel Aviv.
"One rocket was fired into the Gaza Strip and entered Israel. The rocket was seized by the Iron Dome Air Defense System, "Israeli soldiers said in a statement.
Hours later, the Israeli air force said it had struck Hamas' weapons base in retaliation.
Hamas says it has used its "anti-aircraft defense" to fight airstrikes, which did not cause any injuries, according to witnesses and security sources in Gaza.
No military group of 2.3 million inhabitants has ever claimed responsibility for the strike, but it comes after a series of attacks on Israel and a tense weekend in Jerusalem.
Israel has blamed Hamas for all rocket shootings in Israel, and has often carried out airstrikes in response.
The incident follows a weekend of Israeli-Palestinian violence in areas near the Muslim al-Aqsa in Jerusalem in which more than 170 people were injured, most of them Palestinian protesters.
Sources said the United Nations Security Council was expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the escalation of violence.
The same violence in Jerusalem at the same time last year sparked a Hamas rocket strike in Israel that escalated into an 11-day war.
The increase in controversy coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish Passover celebration.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is known to the Jews as the Temple Mount - the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. Palestinians have been annoyed by frequent visits to the area by Jewish worshipers, who are not allowed to enter but may not pray there.
The Naphtali government Bennett has repeatedly declared that Israeli security forces "have a free hand" to deal with protesters.
