Israeli aircraft fired three missiles Tuesday into the Gaza Strip compound of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, injuring two people.

Abbas was not in the compound during the attack, which left deep craters in the ground.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was not at his Gaza compound when Israeli warplanes struck . (Hatem Moussa/ Associated Press)

The Israeli army said it fired on a site used by militants to launch rockets into Israel earlier Tuesday. There were no reports of injuries in that attack.

Militants regularly fire missiles into Israel from Gaza, which Israel withdrew from last year after 38 years of occupation. While the homemade explosives rarely cause casualties, Israel has stepped up counterattacks in recent weeks.

Media reports said it was unclear why the president's compound was targeted. Abbas has criticized rocket attacks against Israel and has urged the Palestinian Authority's newly elected government to try to make peace with its neighbour.

The missiles landed at a mostly deserted base of the presidential guard, located about 100 metres from Abbas's office. The base had been used by Palestinian security forces to store equipment, but had been abandoned after previous Israeli strikes.

Abbas spokesman Nabil Abu Rdeneh urged the United States and other Western countries to intervene.

"This escalation will lead the area to more violence and instability," he told the Associated Press.

The Palestinian Interior Ministry, which oversees some of the territory's security forces, condemned the Israeli "aggression" and threatened retaliation.

"For every action, there's a reaction," ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal told AP. "The occupation must understand that our people have the ability to be steadfast in confronting acts of occupation."

Palestinian security sources said the air strike was the first targeting one of its security compound in two years.