Rockets fire from Gaza. PHOTO: Alalam.

JNS.org – A rocket exploded in southern Israel near the Gaza Strip on Friday. Israeli security officials were investigating whether the projectile came from Gaza or the Sinai Peninsula.

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage from the rocket. Israel has endured sporadic rocket fire over the last month from terrorists in Gaza. While Israel has held Hamas accountable for the rockets because the Palestinian terror group governs the coastal territory, the recent fire has come largely from Islamic State-inspired Salafi terror groups in Gaza, who have been waging a battle against Hamas there.

Meanwhile, Israel is increasingly concerned that violence in the Sinai between Islamic State-affiliated terror groups and the Egyptian government will spill into the Jewish state or Gaza. The Israeli government and military have taken a number of precautionary steps, including the closures of border crossings into the Sinai and Highway 12, which runs along Israel’s border with Egypt. The Israel Defense Forces has also bolstered its presence in the region.