Israel has launched a series of air strikes after an Israeli man was killed by sniper fire along the border with the Gaza Strip.

According to reports, the man was a 52-year-old civilian employed by the Israeli Defence Ministry to make repairs to a section of the Israel-Gaza border fence damaged after storms.

He was shot in the chest and died on route to hospital in Beersheba.

The gunfire came from inside Hamas-controlled Gaza.

The incident happened while Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, was visiting the nearby town of Sderot.

He was quoted as saying: "This is a very severe incident and we will not let it go unanswered".

Following the incident Israel reportedly attacked targets in Gaza City and northern Gaza.