Rocket Fired from Gaza on Israel, Hamas Official Rearrested in West Bank

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel on Tuesday, causing no injuries, the Israeli military said.

The rocket was the latest in a salvo of projectiles fired from the coastal enclave in Israel, raising tensions along the border with Gaza and fears of a new Israeli incursion into the territory.

"A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip landed this morning in the western region of the Negev Desert without causing any injuries," a military spokeswoman told Agence France Presse.

Militants on Monday fired three rockets into Israel, which hit just north of the Gaza Strip without causing any injuries or damage.

Around 24 rockets and mortar rounds have been fired from the area into Israel since the beginning of this year, according to military figures.

The rocket fire has prompted a series of retaliatory Israeli air raids on Gaza, including twin raids launched overnight Sunday.

Israel has said it holds Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, responsible for the continued rocket fire, raising fears the Jewish state plans a repeat of its deadly December 2008-January 2009 Operation Cast Lead offensive.

Meanwhile, Israeli troops rearrested a senior Hamas official who was released in 2008 after being detained for over two years, Palestinian sources and the Israeli military said.

Palestinian security officials named the man as Omar Abdulrazek, a senior Hamas member whom the group appointed finance minister after they won legislative elections in 2006.

They said he was arrested early Tuesday at his home in Salfit, south of the West Bank city of Nablus.