Gaza, Feb 24 (IANS): A UN delegation arrived in the Gaza Strip to defuse the tension between Israel and Hamas, the ruler of the Palestinian enclave, Palestinian security sources said.

The delegation, headed by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Tor Wennesland, entered Gaza through the Israeli-controlled Erez Crossing in the northern tip of Gaza, the sources told Xinhua on condition of anonymity on Thursday.

The UN delegation would discuss with the Hamas leaders the humanitarian developments in Gaza Strip and work to prevent the regional tension from turning into a major military escalation, they added.

The visit came hours after Israeli fighter jets bombed Gaza in response to the firing of six rockets toward southern Israel. Five of the rockets were intercepted by the Iron Dome aerial defence systems and one fell in an open area, according to the Israeli military, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Wednesday, an Israeli military raid in the West Bank city of Nablus killed 11 Palestinians and injured 102 others, aggravating the already tense ties between Israelis and Palestinians.