Palestinians fired two Grad missiles from Gaza early Sunday at the Israeli city of Beersheba, with 200,000 residents, about 25 miles away. No damage was reported. City officials sounded air raid sirens and closed schools for the day, concerned about further attacks. The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), a smaller Palestinian faction, took responsibility for firing one of the rockets. Separately, Israel launched an airstrike before dawn Sunday, hitting two gunmen from the Islamist Hamas movement as they were riding on a motorcycle. One of the men was killed and the other wounded. An Israeli army spokesman said the air force had targeted a squad preparing to fire a rocket into Israel.
The renewed fighting in Gaza comes after a three-day lull. Last week, Palestinians from Gaza fired dozens of rockets at Israeli towns, wounding several agricultural workers and damaging some homes. Israel killed at least four gunmen in airstrikes. Analysts say Hamas is not interested in a confrontation with Israel as it tries to shore up its position in Gaza in the face of challenges from more radical groups.