Gaza militants fire two rockets at Israel - military

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian militants fired two rockets from the Gaza Strip at Israel on Saturday, the Israeli military said, a few days after the most intense fighting in the area in years.

"Two launches were identified from the Gaza Strip at Israeli territory. The IDF's Iron Dome aerial defense system intercepted one of the launches and the other apparently landed in the Gaza Strip," a statement from the military said.

Israel and Palestinian armed groups in Gaza reached a de-facto ceasefire this week after the most intense flare-up of hostilities since a 2014 war.

Militants from Hamas, the dominant group in Gaza, and Islamic Jihad fired dozens of rockets and mortar bombs at southern Israel throughout Tuesday and overnight into Wednesday, to which Israel responded with tank fire and air strikes on more than 50 targets in the small, coastal enclave.

Violence along the border escalated in recent weeks.

Israel has drawn international condemnation for its use of deadly force against mass demonstrations by Gaza Palestinians.

(Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by Andrew Bolton)