Israeli tanks hit a position of the Islamist movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip after a rocket was launched on southern Israel from the Palestinian enclave, the Israeli army said Friday.

A military statement said the overnight strike had targeted "terrorist infrastructure" in the north of the Mediterranean enclave.

A spokesman for besieged Gaza's emergency services said nobody was wounded.

A military spokeswoman claimed that the tank fire had been in response to the rocket launched from the Gaza Strip Thursday, which triggered warning sirens in southern Israel but caused no damage.

Israel launched an offensive against the Gaza strip last summer, which led to the killing of 2,140 Palestinians and 73 Israelis, mostly soldiers. 

In December, Israeli warplanes struck Gaza for the first time since an August 26 ceasefire went into effect, after a rocket hit Israel. There were no casualties on either side.

Also on Friday, two Palestinians were wounded by Israeli gunfire on the border. Eyewitnesses said a few dozen Palestinian youths had been throwing stones at occupation soldiers there.

Gaza health services spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said the two were moderately wounded in the incident, which took place east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip.

A spokeswoman said the Israeli army was not aware of any such incident.

Under Israel's 9-year-old blockade of the besieged Gaza strip, Palestinians are not allowed to come within 100 metres (yards) of the border fence.

*This story was edited by Ahram Online