updated 10:58 GMT
Israel launched air strikes over Gaza on Tuesday, hours after Israeli sources said the bodies of three missing teenagers had been found in the West Bank, reports Reuters.
“Following over 18 rockets which were fired at Israel since Sunday evening, IAF aircraft carried out a precision strike against 34 targets in the Gaza Strip,” the Israeli military, IDF, was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying.
The Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Hamas "will pay", accusing it of being responsible for the deaths of the three teenagers. Hamas have denied involvement in the kidnapping and killings of the teenagers.
"The disappearance and the killing of the three settlers is an Israeli story used as propaganda to start a war against our people. We warn Israel against any stupid action. If Israel wants war, the price they will pay will be greater than previous war," the Hamas spokesperson, Sami Abu Zuhri told Al Jazeera.
The three teenagers, from Israeli settlements in the West Bank, went missing on June 12th. Hundreds of Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces in recent days during a mass search for the missing teenagers.
"This atrocity is the direct result of the pact between President Abbas and the Hamas terrorists, the pact that allowed Hamas to establish its presence in the West Bank," the Israeli government spokesperson," Mark Regev told reporters.
In a statement after the discovery of the three bodies, President Barack Obama said:
"The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms, this senseless act of terror against innocent youths. I also urge all parties to refrain from steps that could further destabilise the situation."The air strike over Gaza follows reports that rockets were fired into southern Israel on Monday.
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Disappeared Israeli teenagers found dead in West-Bank (30 June 2014)
Israeli teenagers reportedly kidnapped in West Bank (13 Jun 2014)