Militants in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at southern Israeli coastal cities on Monday, but one was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system and the other fell into the sea.
No one claimed responsibility for Monday’s rocket launches against Ashkelon, a town north of the Gaza strip, Reuters reports. The Israeli Air Force bombed two concealed rocket launchers in northern Gaza. There were no casualties, according to a military spokeswoman.
The rocket launches may have been an effort to disrupt a planned prisoner release this week, in which Israel is scheduled to release 26 Palestinian prisoners, part of peace negotiations with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip, has called on Abbas to abandon peace talks with Israel.