Three Palestinians were killed in a blast at a militant training camp in the Gaza Strip today, witnesses said.
They said the blast hit a training camp used by the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), an umbrella group of militants that often fires makeshift rockets into Israel.
A Palestinian who was killed was the brother of a senior commander in the PRC, it was claimed locally.
The Israeli military confirmed it had carried an airstrike on the suspected base.
"There was an aerial attack on a training compound of the PRC while terrorists were training there," a spokeswoman said.
The Israeli military has recently stepped up air strikes against militants as well as artillery barrages against what it says are rocket launch sites used by militants.
This is the first air strike since Israel's new government took office yesterday under Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
Israeli media reported the new defence minister Amir Peretz, in his first major decision, gave the green light for the air strike after consultations with security officials.