In retaliation for Eilat attack that killed eight Israelis, Israeli warplanes have launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip

In retaliation for Eilat attack that killed eight Israelis, Israeli warplanes have launched airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.

The latest strikes slayed one Palestinian kid and injured six others in air raids waged on northwestern Gaza early on Friday.

This comes shortly after Israeli fighter jets targeted a building in the city of Rafah in the south of Gaza Strip on Thursday, martyring at least seven Palestinians, including a nine-year-old boy.  At least four of them senior fighters from the Popular Resistance Committees, the group Israel claims was behind Thursday's bloodshed. The group immediately vowed to exact a bitter price for the killing of its leader and other senior cadres.

Israeli fighter strikes also claimed the lives of three Egyptian border guards near the Egyptian border town of Taba.

In response to these attacks, two Israelis were injured, one seriously, when a Grad rocket fired by resistance fighters in Gaza slammed into the coastal town of Ashdod in the southern occupied territories early on Friday, police spokeswoman Luba Samri told AFP, saying two rockets had hit the town. The second caused no damage or injuries, she said.

The latest firings raised to 12 the total number of rockets fired from Gaza into occupied southern Palestinian territories since midnight, the military said.

Eight Israelis were killed Thursday in a coordinated series of attacks on a desert road near the Red Sea resort town of Eilat.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has accused resistance groups in the impoverished coastal sliver of organizing the attacks and vowed a “full force” response against the Palestinians in the besieged territory. However, Hamas strongly dismissed the allegations and warned against any act of aggression against the enclave.

U.S. President Barak Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said that the U.S. government condemns "the brutal terrorist attacks in southern Israel today in the strongest terms… our deepest condolences go to the victims, their families and loved ones, and we wish those injured a speedy recovery. The U.S. and Israel stand united against terror, and we hope that those behind this attack will be brought to justice swiftly."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement on Thursday that the "brutal and cowardly attacks near Eilat appear to be premeditated acts of terrorism against innocent civilians". Clinton said the violence "only underscores our strong concerns about the security situation in the Sinai Peninsula," and urged the Egyptian government to find a lasting resolution. She added that the U.S. stands with Israel "as our friend, partner and ally - now and always."