Rocket Fired from Gaza Hits Israel

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit southern Israel on Thursday without causing injuries or damage, the Israeli military said.

The rocket landed in an open field in the Hof Ashkelon region, the military said, adding that the projectile was the 24th to hit Israel this month.

July has seen an uptick in the number of rockets and other projectiles fired at Israel from Gaza after several months of calm following a flare-up of violence in April, when an anti-tank missile fired from Gaza hit an Israeli school bus, killing a teenager.

Israel responded to that attack with a series of air strikes that killed at least 19 Palestinians in the deadliest violence since Israel's devastating 22-day assault on Gaza in 2008-2009.

The violence had raised fears of another similar offensive, but on April 10 Gaza's Hamas rulers declared a return to the truce that ended Israel's Operation Cast Lead in January 2009.