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Rockets fired from Gaza Strip land off central Israel’s coast

Rockets fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday landed in the Mediterranean Sea off central Israel, the Israeli military said.

It was not immediately clear whether the rockets were meant to hit Israel, but Gaza-based militant groups often test-fire missiles toward the sea. There were no reports of casualties.

Apart from a single incident in September, there has been no cross-border rocket fire since a cease-fire ended an 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in May.

In a statement, the Israeli army said the rockets fell off the coast of the Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area.

“According to protocol, no sirens were sounded and no interception took place,” it added.

High tensions

Witnesses in Gaza said they woke up to the sound of outgoing missiles around 7 a.m. and pictures circulated on social media showed whiffs of white smoke from the launching area.

The cease-fire, brokered by Egypt and other mediators, has been fragile. The militant Hamas group says Israel did not take serious steps to ease the blockade it imposed on Gaza.

Tension are also high as other groups like the smaller but more hard-line Islamic Jihad threaten military escalation if Israel doesn’t end the administrative detention of a Palestinian prisoner who has been on a hunger strike for over 130 days.

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Printable version | Jan 1, 2022 11:44:40 PM | https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/rockets-fired-from-gaza-strip-land-off-central-israels-coast/article38089140.ece

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