A young Palestinian girl has been killed in a series of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip, in response to the fatal shooting of an Israeli civilian.

The flare-up in cross-border violence began when a Palestinian sniper shot and killed an Israeli who was repairing the fence surrounding Gaza.

Israel retaliated, launching air strikes on Hamas training camps and weapons facilities.

At least two people were killed, including a three-year-old girl from a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

Several people were also wounded in the attacks.

Israel says it holds Hamas responsible for the sniper attack that started the incident.

The Israeli army says its aircraft, tanks and infantry "targeted terror sites in the Gaza Strip."

"The sites included a weapon-manufacturing facility and a terror infrastructure in the southern Gaza Strip, a terror site and another terror infrastructure in the central Gaza Strip and a concealed rocket launcher in the northern Gaza Strip," it said.

It said the attacks were retaliation for the fence repairer's death, calling him the "first Israeli civilian killed in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip" since a major eight-day outbreak of fighting in and around Gaza in November 2012.

Just ahead of the air strikes, prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond "forcefully" to the attack.

Israeli defence minister Moshe Yaalon earlier stressed that "in Gaza, Hamas is ruler, and we hold it responsible for the shooting today from the strip and the rocket launches in the past two days at Israel".

"I advise Hamas to not test our patience. If there won't be quiet in Israel, there won't be quiet in Gaza either," he said.

A statement from Hamas, which does not recognise Israeli, said "the occupier and its raids will not deter or stop the resistance".

The renewed violence threatens the US-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, which are due to continue until April.

ABC/AFP