Israel struck Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip after the Palestinian movement fired dozens of rockets and mortars at southern communities early Wednesday, the military said. The new flare-up follows weeks of deadly protests and clashes along the Gaza-Israel border as well as the worst military escalation last month since a 2014 war. The strikes targeting Hamass military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, were more intense than in previous sorties to convey the message "we will not allow this situation to continue," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters. Israeli planes initially targeted three Hamas military positions overnight in Gaza in response to kites and balloons carrying incendiary and explosive devices launched into Israel from the Palestinian territory, the army said. Israel has been battling large fires caused by the incendiary devices that have destroyed forests, burned crops and killed wildlife and livestock. "They may look like toys but I can assure they are not toys, they are weapons intended to kill and to inflict damage," Conricus said. He said that so far Israel had sought to warn off those launching the airborne devices but that could change. "Hamas and other terrorists, but mainly Hamas" hit back after the first air raids with more than 45 rockets and mortar rounds fired from Gaza towards Israel, seven of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system, he added. Three more landed inside the Jewish state, he said, but did not account for the remainder. In response, Israeli planes carried out more raids against 25 "terror objectives" including an underground training compound, according to the army. Gaza medical sources said that five people were lightly injured in the strikes. The tensions come as US President Donald Trumps special envoy Jason Greenblatt and adviser Jared Kushner visit the region to discuss issues including the Palestinian-Israeli peace process. In a joint statement, the military wings of Hamas and allied group Jihad said they had "targeted seven Israeli military positions near Gaza... in response to continued Israeli aggression against resistance sites in Gaza." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned at a ceremony for military officers that Israels response to attacks from Gaza "will intensify as necessary," but Cabinet Minister Naftali Bennett of the Jewish Home party called for a tougher stance. "Just imagine living in fear that while you sleep at night a fire kite might hit your home," he said at the Israel Democracy Institute. "I will not back down until we implement a new policy in which we shoot directly at terrorists and not just next to them," he added. Tensions have soared in Gaza since mass protests and clashes broke out along the border on March 30. At least 132 Palestinians have been killed. There have been no Israeli fatalities. Palestinians are demanding the right to return to the homes their families fled or were expelled from during the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel. Israel maintains the use of live ammunition is necessary to defend its borders and stop infiltrations. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that Gaza is close to the brink of war. Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and observe a tense ceasefire that is regularly shaken by hostile acts.