IDF patrol near Gaza targeted by roadside bomb

A roadside bomb exploded near an IDF military vehicle patrolling the fence with the Southern Gaza Strip Monday morning.

The explosion did not damage the vehicle and there were no casualties in the attack, the IDF said in a statement.

The incident was the second time in the past week an Israeli military vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb near Gaza.

An explosive device was detonated near the border fence last Tuesday, with no casualties.

January has seen an increase in violence on the Gaza front. Several dozen rockets have been fired into Israel since the beginning of the new year, including a volley of rockets following the funeral of prime minister Ariel Sharon in the western Negev. The rocket attacks have been met with Israeli airstrikes air strikes, including one last week in which a senior militant was killed.

On Sunday, Israel said it had agreed to authorize the transfer of more construction materials into the Gaza Strip, several months after cutting off supplies in the wake of the discovery of a tunnel burrowed from the Strip into Israel.

The IDF estimates that dozens of “terror tunnels” are being dug into Israel by Hamas as it prepares for a new round of conflict.

 Elhanan Miller contributed to this report.