JERUSALEM, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Militants in the Gaza Strip fired two rockets at southern Israel on Sunday night, amid escalation of violence between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.

An Israeli military spokesperson said in a statement that one of the rockets was intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome Aerial Defense System. The statement did not elaborate on the other rocket.

The attacks triggered off sirens in the southern city of Ashkelon and in the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip.

The rockets were fired shortly after Israel announced it completely closed Gaza's offshore fishing zone, saying the measure was a response to the incendiary balloons launched from Gaza.

The Gaza Strip has been under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007 when Hamas took over control of the Palestinian enclave.

Tensions have been rising in the Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem in the past days since hundreds of Palestinians were injured and at least one was killed in clashes with Israeli security forces.

The clashes were sparked by Israeli restrictions imposed on Palestinian Muslims during the holy fasting month of Ramadan and the planned eviction of some Palestinians from their homes in East Jerusalem. Enditem

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