Italy's foreign ministry on Monday expressed "strong condemnation" at a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel that injured seven people when it hit a house in the coastal city of Tel Aviv.
"While affirming Israel's right to protect itself, the foreign ministry renews its appeal to all sides to avoid an escalation (of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) said a foreign ministry statement.
Israel's premier Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond to Monday's attack with force and the army said it had begun carrying out strikes on Hamas militant targets in the Gaza Strip.
Israel also decided to close the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings in Gaza, Palestinian news agency Maan reported.
Monday's attack was the furthest that Palestinian militants had managed to fire rockets into Israel from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip since the 2014 conflict, the news agency reported.
