After an escalation in conflict with Palestinian militants, Israel accused the latter of launching a rocket from the Gaza Strip; the rocket was intercepted. The tensions have been worsened by ongoing difficulties in reaching a long-term cease-fire between Israel and Hamas following the 11-day war in May.
Israel, on Sunday, had carried out air strikes in the Gaza Strip. The strikes come on the back of reports of six Palestinian insurgents escaping an Israeli prison. Four of the six were since captured.
The incident is a setback to recent hopes that both the countries would find a negotiated settlement to their disputes. Egypt has been trying to broker an agreement. Hamas has demanded that Israel lift a painful economic blockade of Gaza, while Israel wants Hamas to release two Israeli civilians and return the remains of two dead Israeli soldiers it is holding.
Israel's defence minister held talks this month with the Palestinian president in the first high-level meeting between the two sides in years. The meeting between Benny Gantz and Mahmoud Abbas signalled a possible shift of direction after after the near-complete breakdown of communication between Abbas and Israeli leaders in recent years, under former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
