Rocket fired into Israel from Gaza for the 1st time in months

Smoke and flames from Israeli airstrikes in Rafah, Gaza Strip.
(Image credit: Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images)

For the first time since New Year's Eve, Palestinian militants fired a rocket into southern Israel on Monday.

There are no reports of any deaths or damage, The Associated Press reports, and Israel said it intercepted the rocket. In response, Israeli fighter jets carried out multiple airstrikes in the Gaza Strip early Tuesday, with the Israeli military saying it targeted a "weapons manufacturing site" for the militant Hamas organization.

The Israeli government holds Hamas rulers responsible for rocket attacks against the country, AP says, but no group has claimed responsibility for Monday's incident. In recent weeks, there has been an increase in Palestinian attacks inside Israel, including a deadly shooting outside of a busy bar in central Tel Aviv.

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Over the weekend, there were clashes between Palestinians and Israeli police in and around Jerusalem's Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, with Israel saying officers responded to Palestinians throwing stones. This is one of the holiest sites for Jews and Muslims, and Jordan serves as its custodian. Jordan's King Abdullah II said in a statement that he spoke with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, and they both agree there is "the need to stop all illegal and provocative Israeli measures" at the compound.

Both sides are being encouraged by the U.S. State Department to "exercise restraint, to avoid provocative actions and rhetoric, and preserve the historical status quo."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.