Gunners in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip fired several rockets into southern Israel on Tuesday, breaching a five-day-old calm after Israeli forces killed two Palestinians in the occupied West Bank. "This is a blatant violation of the calm, and we will weigh options," an aide quoted Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as saying after the rockets struck.
According to Reuters, Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rocket attack, calling it a "first response" to Israel's killing overnight of a local commander of the armed group and another Palestinian, who was affiliated to Hamas, in the West Bank city of Nablus.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas official, responded by urging "all Palestinian factions to abide by the calm agreement", adding: "Hamas is keen to maintain the deal."
An Israeli police spokesman said at least three makeshift rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip and one hit a house in the border town of Sderot. No one was seriously hurt.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Israeli army confirmed Palestinians fired a mortar shell into Israel from Gaza Strip overnight. No one was hurt in that incident and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
