A Qassam rocket exploded Thursday evening in an open field in the Eshkol Regional Council.

No injuries or damage were reported in the strike, the first of its kind in southern Israel in recent weeks.

Shortly before 9:30 pm, the Color Red rocket alert system was activated in region. A few moments later, an explosion was heard in the area.

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"From the eve of Passover until today we had a calm period that we are not familiar with by any standard," Eshkol Regional Council head Haim Yalin told Ynet. "We are not surprised that the lull ended, we're surprised by a month an a half of quiet. Qassam fire is not an unusual thing, because we know who's living on the other side,"

One of the last rocket attacks on Israel came on the eve of Passover, when a Qassam exploded in an open field near a kibbutz in Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council.

A few days later, several United Nations employees were inured by a mortar shell that landed in the area. Palestinian groups denied firing the shell, claiming it was IDF fire that caused the injuries.