Gaza rocket hits southern Israel

A rocket fired by militants in the Palestinian Gaza Strip hit southern Israel on Tuesday, the army said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

"Rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip at southern Israel. One hit near the community of Gan-Yavne," an army statement said of a community east of the port city of Ashdod.

"No injuries were reported."

Police said they had not yet located the point of impact.

Eyewitnesses in Gaza told AFP they had seen one rocket being fired at Israel from the Palestinian enclave.

There was no claim of responsibility, but Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner tweeted that "Hamas is responsible for all attacks originating from the strip".

Last month a rocket fired from Gaza hit Israel, prompting the army to retaliate with tank fire. Nobody was hurt.

Israel went to war against the Islamist Hamas, the de facto power in Gaza, last summer with the aim of stamping out cross-border rocket and mortar attacks.

The 50-day conflict killed about 2,200 Palestinians, most of them civilians, and 73 on the Israeli side, most of them soldiers.

It caused heavy damage to Gaza's infrastructure and damaged more than 160,000 homes.
Source: AFP