Israeli air raids on Friday killed at least 10 people, including a commander of the Islamic Jihad group, as fears of an all-out war on Gaza again gripped the besieged Palestinian territory.

Multiple blasts could be heard and seen throughout Gaza. Israeli reconnaissance drones could be heard hovering over the enclave.

The attacks follow days of tension with the Islamic Jihad after the arrest of senior Palestinian leader Bassam al-Saadi in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin.

Ghazi Hamad, a senior official for Hamas – the group that governs the strip – said the latest attack is “a brutal crime, a massacre done by the Israeli occupation against our people”.

Hamad told Global News Insight there is “no justification” for the attacks, adding Palestinian factions have the right to defend themselves and “protect” their people.

Rockets could be seen being fired late Friday from Gaza towards Israel in the first Palestinian response.