Palestinian rocket falls short of Israeli border

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket toward southern Israel Thursday night but it landed inside the Palestinian territory, the army said.

"The rocket that was launched from Gaza earlier this evening, fell short and landed in the Gaza Strip," army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Peter Lerner said on Twitter.

Tensions on the border have been rising recently and on Sunday, the Israeli air force hit the Gaza Strip after rocket fire from the territory hit southern Israel, the previous night.

There were also retaliatory air strikes after three previous rocket attacks since May 26.

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.

The latest round of rocket fire is believed to be related to infighting between Gaza's Hamas rulers and its Salafist opponents.

There have been growing signs of internal unrest between Hamas security forces and extremist splinter groups.

Salafists are Sunni Muslims who promote a strict lifestyle based on that of early "pious ancestors". In Gaza they have made no secret of their disdain for Hamas over its observance of a tacit ceasefire with Israel and its failure to implement Islamic law.
Source: AFP