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Yaakov Lappin and Yasser Okbi contributed to this report.

A rocket launched toward Israel from the Gaza Strip shortly after 12 a.m. on Thursday apparently failed to traverse the border and landed in the Palestinian territory, Army Radio reported.Code Red sirens sounded in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council and security forces were searching for remnants of a projectile, an IDF spokeswoman confirmed.According to Israel Radio, the Kassam rocket landed in an open area near Ashkelon.No injuries or damage were reported.In light of the recent string of attacks from the coastal enclave, the IDF has deployed Iron Dome defense system batteries near Beersheba and Sderot.Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon put the onus on Hamas for the recent attacks from the Gaza Strip, including Tuesday’s sniper shooting that killed Salah Shukri Abu Latyef, a Defense Ministry contract worker on the border fence. Abu Latyef was buried in Rahat on Wednesday.The IDF struck targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday afternoon in retaliation for the cross-border shooting earlier in the day in which Israel sustained its first casualty since the end of Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012.On Monday, security forces morning located the remains of a rocket fired overnight from Gaza into southern Israel.The projectile exploded near residential homes in the area. No injuries or damage were reported in the attack.