A rocket that was fired into Israel, setting off alerts in the country’s south, fell short and landed in Hamas-ruled Gaza, the Associated Press reported today.

Sirens wailed in some areas warning of the attack late Thursday night and the military initially said it had hit the area of southern Israel where the sirens had gone off.
Soon later it said the rocket had landed prematurely, falling inside Gaza. There were no reports of injuries.

Rocket fire has mostly subsided since last summer’s war between Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers and Israel, but there have been sporadic attacks, which increased in frequency over the past few weeks.

Israel retaliated last weekend against “terror infrastructure” after a rocket fired from Gaza landed in Israel. A few days earlier, rockets were fired at Israel while the country was undergoing a national emergency drill. A rocket hit near Ashdod late last month.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for all rocket fire from Gaza, since it is the governing authority there.

A study has found that as many as 40 percent of rockets fired from Gaza either explode early or fall short and land in Palestinian areas.

[Photo: Rahim Khatib / Flash90 ]