Gaza Rockets Lands In Israel, No Casualties

The Israeli military said the rocket was fired from the northern Gaza Strip.

Two rockets fired from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Sunday, causing no casualties, the Israeli military and police said.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place since Israel ended a 22-day military offensive in Gaza on Jan. 18 that was designed to punish the Islamist Hamas group for cross-border attacks from the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Israel has responded with air strikes to rocket and mortar bomb attacks since the truce went into effect.

The Israeli army said the rockets were fired from the northern Gaza Strip.

One landed in an agricultural community near the southern town of Sderot, damaging three cars. The second rocket was fired several hours later and landed outside the city of Ashkelon, police said.

Egypt is trying to secure a lasting ceasefire within days between Israel and Hamas. Diplomats said the Egyptian proposal includes a prisoner exchange and the initial opening of at least two of the enclave's border crossings.

Israel wants any truce deal to include the release of a soldier held captive in Gaza since 2006. Hamas wants the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in return for soldier Gilad Shalit.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak played down reports in the Arab media that significant progress had been made in talks to free Shalit.

"The answer is negative. We are not there yet and it remains unclear if we are going to reach that point," Barak told Army Radio.