Saudi Arabia strongly condemned and denounced the Israeli strike that was launched against the Gaza Strip, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.

In the statement, it was stated that the Kingdom supports the Palestinian people and urged the international community to do all possible to stop the tensions between the two nations from escalating.

Additionally, it stressed the need to shield civilians from the violence.

Israeli aircraft struck in Gaza and Palestinians fired rockets deep into Israel on Saturday, a day after an Israeli operation against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement set off a cross-border flare-up that ended more than a year of relative calm.

Islamic Jihad fired rocket salvoes as far as Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv, after Israel killed one of the group’s commanders in a surprise daytime air strike on a Gaza City tower on Friday.

Israel struck more Islamic Jihad militants and weapon depots hidden in residential areas on Saturday, the military said. Bombings of at least five houses sent huge clouds of smoke and debris into the air, as explosions rocked Gaza and ambulances rushed through the streets.

The Israeli strikes have killed 15 Palestinians, including at least four other Islamic Jihad militants and three civilians, among them a child, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. It added scores more had been wounded.

Palestinian militants fired at least 200 rockets at Israel – most of them intercepted, setting off air raids sirens and sending people running to bomb shelters. There were no reports of serious casualties, the Israeli ambulance service said.

Egypt said it was engaged in intensive talks to calm the situation.