Israeli army says rocket fired from Gaza intercepted

Israel's missile defence system intercepted a rocket fired from Gaza on Friday, the Israeli military said, around an hour before a truce with Hamas was due to expire.

"Following the initial report regarding sirens sounded in communities near the Gaza Strip, the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) Aerial Defense Array successfully intercepted a launch from the Gaza Strip," the military said on its official Telegram account.

The rocket was the first launched from Gaza since a missile fired shortly into the first day of a truce that has lasted seven days, the military confirmed.


There has been no official confirmation of any potential extension of the truce into an eighth day, though Hamas said it was open to the possibility and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged that the pause continue.

Eyewitnesses reported heavy aircraft and drone activity in northwestern Gaza on Thursday morning, an AFP reporter said.