The Hamas operative killed in the IDF strike in Gaza Friday was a senior official who survived five assassination attempts by Israel, an announcement by Hamas' military wing the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades stated on Saturday.

Twelve other Palestinians were also injured in the strike, and some of them sustained serious wounds.

The Hamas man killed was 40-year-old Issa al-Batran, from the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. According to the announcement, in the last attempt on al-Batran's life during Operation Cast Lead, his wife and five children were killed.

The Hamas military wing vowed that "this recent act of foolishness will not pass quietly."

On Friday, the Popular Resistance Committees' military wing the Salah al-Din Brigades claimed responsibility for the Grad rocket that was fired at Ashkelon.

The IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed that Israel Air Force jets struck three targets in the Gaza Strip, including a terror hub in the north, a weapons factory in the central Strip, and a smuggling tunnel in the south. All jets returned safely to their bases.

The IDF said the attack came in response to the rocket fired at Ashkelon Friday morning, and stressed that the military would continue to operate against any element threatening the citizens of Israel and its soldiers.

"The IDF holds the Hamas terror organization solely responsible for the occurrences in the Strip and for maintaining calm there," the IDF statement said.