ISRAEL attacked the besieged Gaza Strip for the first time in months today in what it said were retaliatory strikes for the shooting of a defence contractor at the border.

Tel Aviv said the contractor was shot in the leg and lightly wounded. It confirmed that its response had been tank fire on locations in northern Gaza, targeting what it claimed were Hamas military posts.

Three Palestinian farmers were reported to have been wounded in the attack, with photographs showing them being treated in hospital.