By RIA Novosti,
Tel Aviv/Gaza : Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip have fired at least three rockets at southern Israel on the third day of renewed hostilities that threaten a fragile five-month truce, the Israeli military said Friday.
The rockets exploded in deserted areas, without inflicting casualties or damage. Islamic Jihad, Gaza’s second-largest militant group, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Israel and Hamas-led militants reached a truce June 19. Under the six-month deal, Hamas agreed to stop firing rockets into Israel, which in turn agreed to reopen its border crossings with the Gaza Strip to allow essential supplies into the Palestinian territory.
Since then, Gaza militants have occasionally launched rocket attacks on Israeli territory, with Israel closing the border crossings in response.
In late October, Israel closed all crossings with the Gaza Strip following another rocket attack by Palestinian militants in violation of ceasefire.
However, the truce was really threatened late Tuesday when Israeli troops went into the enclave to destroy a border tunnel which they said had been dug as part of a plan to abduct Israeli soldiers.
A Palestinian militant was killed in the clash that followed, prompting a mortar barrage on Israel by militants. Israeli airstrikes subsequently killed another six militants launching mortar and rocket strikes on Israel.
Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said his country did not intend to violate the truce, but would act to eliminate threats to Israeli soldiers.