Tel Aviv, Israel

The Israeli army reported on Wednesday (Feb 1) that sirens sounded in southern Israel and a rocket was intercepted from Gaza as tensions between Palestinians and the nation's new ultra-nationalist government grew.

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Late on Wednesday afternoon, the city of Sderot and the area around the Gaza Strip both heard sirens, according to a statement from the army. It claimed that Israel's Iron Dome defence system successfully intercepted the projectile.

Locals claimed to have heard explosions. The only confirmed injury, according to Israel's emergency agency, was sustained by a 50-year-old lady who tripped and fell while running to a shelter.

Following a recent uptick in Israeli-Palestinian violence and the visit of US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Israel saw aerial combat on Wednesday.

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People, mostly militants, were killed last week during an Israeli military operation on a militant stronghold in the West Bank city of Jenin. The following day, seven people were killed in a shooting by Palestinians in a Jewish neighbourhood in east Jerusalem. Two Israelis were hurt over the weekend in a separate gunshot in east Jerusalem by a 13-year-old Palestinian.

After the unrest, Israel enacted many punitive measures against the Palestinians, increasing tensions just as Blinken started consulting with authorities.

Israel's national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, stated that he will continue to carry out his severe tactics on Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails despite the rocket fire from Gaza. To discuss a solution, he requested an urgent Security Cabinet meeting.

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(With inputs from agencies)

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