The Palestinian death toll from Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip has risen to 24, the enclave's Health Ministry said Wednesday, as Israel said it carried out further strikes on militant sites.

Islamic Jihad said one of the men killed on Wednesday was a member, identifying him as Khaled Fawwaj.  

The Israeli military said it carried out a series of strikes on Islamic Jihad targets on Wednesday in response to new rocket fire from Gaza. It said one of the targets was a rocket launching squad which it hit. Air raid sirens sounded in the Israeli towns of Ashkelon and Netivot near the Gaza border. 

The new wave of violent tension broke out on Tuesday morning after Israel killed senior Islamic Jihad militant Baha Abu al-Atta and his wife in an airstrike on his house in eastern Gaza City. The Islamic Jihad vowed revenge and launched barrages of rockets and projectiles into Israel. 

The Israeli military said at least 220 rockets had been fired at Israel from Gaza without causing any deaths. Israeli air defenses intercepted 90 percent of the rockets, it added. 

However, it appeared that Hamas, the main militant group that rules Gaza, was staying out of the fighting for now, a Reuters report said on Wednesday.  

It added that the UN Middle East envoy was on his way to Cairo to begin mediation to end the violence, citing a diplomatic source. 

(With input from agencies)