Rocket fired from Gaza towards Israel explodes mid-air

A rocket fired from the northern Gaza Strip on Sunday was exploded mid-air by the Israeli Army.

The projectile was reportedly headed to the Ahskelon coastal region in southern Israel, but was "exploded mid-air," the Israeli Defence Force announced on Twitter.

"A short while ago, a rocket was launched from the northern Gaza Strip. The rocket exploded mid-air. No injuries have been reported," the IDF spokesperson tweeted.

The rocket neither caused injury nor damage, the Israeli military said, without immediately providing any further details.

No rocket alert signal was activated as the explosion happened "relatively early" in its flight, Israeli media reported citing officials.

The incident comes amid escalating tensions in the region, with Israel beefing up its military presence in the West Bank.

Israel has increased its security alert level after at least three Israelis were killed and one injured in a stabbing attack by a 20-year-old Palestinian in the West Bank settlement of Halamish on Friday night.

Israel upped its security alert level and dispatched thousands of additional troops to the area following the deadly knife assault, local media reported, citing an IDF official.

The president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas has announced the freezing of all contacts with Israel over the Jerusalem holy site dispute and called for the removal of metal detectors from the al-Aqsa Mosque compound and Jerusalem's other holy sites.