Gaza militants fire 3 rockets into Israel

Source: Xinhua | 02-03-2009 17:26

GAZA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- Gaza militant groups fired three rockets from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel overnight, causing no damages or injuries, Israeli Radio Arabic service reported Tuesday.

An Israeli army spokesman was quoted by the radio as saying one Russian-made Grad rocket landed in an empty area in Ashkelon, some 13 km away from Gaza's border, the farthest a rocket reached inside Israel since the end of an Israeli offensive on Gaza on Jan.18.

The two other homemade rockets landed at the Western Negev area, said the spokesman, adding that the three rockets caused no damages or injuries.

So far, no group in Gaza claimed responsibility for the rockets attacks on Israel.

Earlier, Hamas government spokesman Taher al-Noono said in a statement that Israel has been thinking up rockets attacks from Gaza "in order to find an excuse to keep its tight blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip."

Israel and Gaza militant groups, mainly the Islamist Hamas movement, installed a ceasefire on Jan. 18, ending the 22-day Israeli military assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. However, both Gaza militants and Israel continued to exchange sporadic attacks.

Egypt has been exerting efforts to broker a longer term truce between Israel and Hamas. A Hamas delegation is currently in Cairo to inform Egypt of that they accept a one-year truce with Israel.

However, Amos Gilad, Secretary of the Israeli Defense Ministry, had said Israel wants a ceasefire deal for freeing captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, according to Israeli media.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei