Jerusalem: A house near Tel Aviv was destroyed and six people were wounded after a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip, Israeli police and medics say.

Israeli police said the rocket hit the house in the community of Mishmeret, north of the city of Kfar Saba, setting off a fire.

The sounds of air raid sirens woke up resident, sending them scurrying to bomb shelters. A strong sound of an explosion followed.

Palestinian rockets cross the sky after militants attacked an Israeli bus last year.Credit:AP

The Israeli military said it identified a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip.

The attack comes at a time of high tension ahead of the anniversary of Gaza border protests and an election campaign in Israel.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service said it was treating six occupants for wounds after a house was struck. It said a 50-year-old woman was moderately wounded and the others, including an infant, were slightly injured.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The attack comes 10 days after rockets were fired towards Israel’s densely populated commercial capital of Tel Aviv.

The Israeli military struck back hard in Gaza and the sides appeared to be hurtling towards another confrontation.

But Gaza’s leaders said the rocket was fired accidently and calm was quickly restored.

Gaza is controlled by Hamas, an Islamic militant group that seeks Israel’s destruction. The territory is home to other militant groups, including Islamic Jihad, an Iranian-backed armed organisation that also has a formidable rocket arsenal.

Israel and Hamas are bitter enemies and have fought three wars since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007. Smaller flare-ups have occurred sporadically since Israel and Hamas fought their last war, in 2014.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking a fifth term in next month’s ballot, was in Washington on Monday and due to meet US President Donald Trump.

Netanyahu is locked in a tight fight for re-election and could face heavy criticism from his opponents if he is seen as ineffective against the militants.

His chief opponent, Benny Gantz, called on him to return home immediately to deal with the crisis.

In Gaza, Hamas has come under rare public criticism for the harsh conditions in the territory. An Israel-Egyptian blockade, combined with sanctions by the rival Palestinian Authority and mismanagement by the Hamas government have fuelled an economic crisis in the territory.

Residents have little desire for another war with Israel.

More to come

AP, Reuters

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