Two Gaza Rockets land In Israel, No Casualties

An Israeli army spokesman said the rocket was fired from the northern Gazan town of Beit Lahiya.

Two rockets fired from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Friday but there were no casualties or damage, the Israeli military 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 rocket attacks from the Palestinian coastal enclave.

Israel has responded to past attacks with air strikes.

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

A spokesman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned that Hamas was playing with fire by continuing rocket attacks.

"It appears Hamas is deliberately undermining any chance whatsoever that calm will prevail in the south. They are playing with fire," Mark Regev said.

Israel holds Hamas responsible for all attacks from Gaza, but Israeli officials have acknowledged that smaller militant groups have been to blame for recent rocket fire.

Egypt is trying to secure a lasting ceasefire within days between Israel and Hamas, both of which refuse to hold direct talks. But diplomats said Egypt's efforts have been complicated by Israel and Hamas disagreeing over the nature and scope of any truce deal.

A Palestinian official close to the talks said a major stumbling block for Hamas was an Israeli demand to have full control over which materials could enter the Gaza Strip through border crossings that Hamas wants fully open as part of any deal.

Israel want to monitor the crossings to prevent Hamas from receiving materials that could be used to manufacture rockets.

The official said Egypt was pressing for a deal before Tuesday's Israeli parliamentary election, which Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing Likud opposition is favoured to win.