Defying the fragile ceasefire reached between Israel and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip, gunmen in the Gaza fired a Qassam rocket into Israel on Tuesday evening, local Yedioth Ahronoth said.

The rocket landed in an open area next to Sderot, a southern Israeli town in the western Negev, causing no injuries or damages.

The incident has been the third time of breaching the truce since it took effect at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Sunday.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Tuesday urged the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to enforce the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, saying that failure in implementation of the truce could incur a "fierce" Israeli response.

In the wake of the continuing Qassam rocket attacks from the northern Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has altered its rules of engagement along the Israel-Gaza border, allowing troops to fire at the rocket launchers.

Source: Xinhua