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Gaza militants fire rocket at Israel despite truce

Other News Materials 1 July 2008 02:10 (UTC +04:00)

Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a makeshift rocket Monday night toward southern Israel, further shaking an already wobbly truce between Israel and militant organizations in the territory.

The rocket caused neither injuries nor damage, a military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv said, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.

It was the fifth rocket launched since the truce took effect on June 19.

Israel responded to the previous missile launches by shutting Gaza crossing points, preventing goods from entering the impoverished enclave. The crossings were reopened Sunday.

Israel had pledged to ease its stringent economic blockade of Gaza if the rocket and mortar attacks from the area stop. The last truckload of humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip on June 24.

The radical Islamic Hamas movement ruling Gaza has urged all Palestinian militant factions operating in the strip to respect the truce.

Islamic Jihad, which fired the first truce-breaking rockets, said it had done so to avenge the death of one of its senior militants during an Israeli army operation on June 24 in the West Bank.

The West Bank is not covered by the Egyptian-brokered truce agreement, dpa reported.

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