Israeli army says intercepts 7 rockets fired from Gaza

The Israeli army said that the country's Iron Dome anti-missile defence system had intercepted seven rockets fired on Friday evening from the Gaza Strip.

"Seven rockets were fired at Israel from Gaza. The Iron Dome Aerial Defence System intercepted them all," the Israeli military said on Twitter.

The army had earlier said air raid sirens had sounded in southern Israel.

It was the second consecutive evening that the army reported rocket fire from the Palestinian enclave, which is run by the Islamist group Hamas.

Prior to Thursday, there had been no such reported rocket fire from Gaza towards Israel since September 12.

In August, a series of rocket attacks from Gaza and Israeli retaliations, as well as border clashes, raised fears of an escalation between Hamas and Israel, as elections approached in the Jewish state.

Those polls -- Israel's second elections this year -- took place on September 17, but have yet to yield a new government.

Sworn enemies Israel and Hamas have fought three wars in the Palestinian enclave since 2008.