GAZA CITY, Palestine 

Palestine’s Islamic Jihad on Friday announced that it had fired more than 100 rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israeli cities in response to Israel's assassination of one of its top leaders. 

"In response to the crime of assassinating Al-Jabari and his comrades, Saraya al-Quds bombed Tel Aviv and other cities with more than 100 missiles," said the group’s armed wing.

The Israeli army said in a statement that warning sirens were sounded in several areas in southern Israel while local media said sirens were heard in several cities near Tel Aviv, central Israel, due to the firing of rockets from the Gaza Strip.

An Anadolu Agency correspondent in Gaza reported that dozens of rockets were seen launching from the strip towards Israeli areas.

Earlier Friday, the Israeli army said it had begun launching airstrikes on Islamic Jihad targets in the Gaza Strip.

According to the Gaza-based Health Ministry, the Israeli raids killed 10 Palestinians, including a 5-year-old girl.

The current tension began last Monday after Israel arrested Bassam al-Saadi, leader of the Islamic Jihad movement, in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

On Tuesday, Israel announced a set of measures against the Gaza Strip for fear of Islamic Jihad's response to al-Saadi's arrest.  

*Ikram Imane Kouachi in Ankara contributed to this report