Israel says rocket fired from Gaza after month-long lull

A rocket was fired at southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Friday night, setting off air raid sirens and sending thousands of residents into bomb shelters, Israel's military said.

It was the first such reported attack since a two-day cross border flareup between Israel and Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in late February.

"One rocket was just fired from #Gaza at Israeli civilians in southern #Israel," the army said on its official Twitter feed.

An army spokeswoman did not give any further details but Israeli media reported the projectile apparently fell on open ground.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The attack came as Israelis throughout the country were largely confined to their homes due to the coronavirus emergency.

Islamic Jihad, the second largest militant group in Gaza after dominant Islamist movement Hamas, fired more than 80 rockets and mortar rounds towards Israel after the army killed a militant who was allegedly planting a bomb on the border on February 23.

The Israeli army removed the militant's body with a bulldozer, and video footage of that process triggered widespread Palestinian anger.