Hamas fires rocket at central Israel

JERUSALEM/GAZA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) — Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at central Israel on Sunday night, Israeli and Palestinian sources said.
The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the rocket was launched from the Khan Younis area in southern Gaza toward Rishon LeZion, a city south of Tel Aviv, triggering air raid sirens. The projectile exploded in an open field, and no injuries have been reported.
In a statement, Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, stating that the Qassam Brigades, its armed wing, launched the rocket “in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians and the deliberate displacement of our people.”
The rare rocket attack occurred as indirect negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas resumed in Cairo, which showed no signs of progress. ■