Israel retaliates after rocket fired from Gaza

A rocket fired from the enclave landed in Eshkol, in southern Israel, and no one was injured, a statement from the Israeli military said.

Israeli forces retailiated with tank fire, targeting farmland east of the al-Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

It was the second such exchange of fire between Israel and Hamas militants, who control Gaza, in two days.

A rocket fired from the Gaza Strip on Wednesday landed in the city of Sderot, also without casualties, but it marked a rare incident of rocket fire penetrating Israel's missile shield defence system.

Israel retaliated with air raids and tanks firing at Hamas posts in the Palestinian enclave.

An Israeli air force pilot who participated in those strikes was killed when the jet crashed on its return.

Israel typically responds to any rocket fire, holding Gaza's Hamas rulers responsible for all attacks from the territory, although other Palestinian militant groups are active in the small coastal strip.

A ceasefire between Israel and Gaza militants has largely held since the 50-day war in the summer of 2014, but militants in Gaza occasionally launch rockets toward Israel, though neither side's response has escalated.