The Israeli Air Force on Tuesday bombed tunnels used for smuggling between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, killing at least three Palestinians and injuring another nine, a health official told RIA Novosti.

The bombing was a response to Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel that injured one Israeli soldier on Monday near the town of Ashkelon.

Four others are reported missing after the Israeli airstrike.

The Gaza Strip has been the subject of an almost continuous Israeli blockade since radical Islamic group Hamas took control of the enclave in the summer of 2007.

Underground tunnels providing the enclave with various items, including weapons and explosives as well as food, petrol and household appliances, are frequent targets of Israeli airstrikes.