Rocket fired from Gaza falls inside Strip – report

A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel early Wednesday, but fell short of the border and landed in the Palestinian coastal territory.

According to a report in the Gaza website “Gaza now,” quoted by the Israeli news site Walla, the rocket fell in the central Gaza city of Deir el-Balah.

There were no reports of damage from the fallen rocket, or confirmation from Israeli officials that the launch took place.

A spate of rocket attacks have been launched from Gaza in recent weeks amid an escalation in violence against Israeli security forces and civilians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The past three days have seen a dramatic rise in violent incidents surrounding the Temple Mount, with security forces and Palestinian activists clashing at the holy site. Hamas, which rules Gaza, has called the violence an Israeli “declaration of war.”

Two similar rocket launches in the past two weeks also failed to clear Gazan territory, and landed within the Strip.

In the past, Israel has held Hamas responsible for such attacks. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attempted attack.