Militants of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades linked to the Palestinian Fatah movement shelled Israel on Monday in retaliation for their leader's death earlier in the day.

The group said in a communique that its armed members launched one homemade rocket Shihab 3 at the southern costal Israeli town of Ashkelon to avenge the killing of their West Bank commander.

Rayed Ebayat, 31, was killed during an Israeli raid in the West Bank town of Beit Sahour earlier on Monday, according to the communique.

The violent group said that all the branches of the armed group were placed on high alert in both West Bank and Gaza to retaliate Ebayat's death.

Meanwhile, an Israeli army on Monday morning nabbed five Palestinians who tried to infiltrate into Israel through the barrier along borders between Israel and Egypt, Israel Radio reported.

The five unarmed young men were caught by Israeli soldiers and taken for questioning, said the report.

Source: Xinhua