Gaza militants fired early on Saturday morning a homemade rocket from Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip at southern Israel, but no damages or injuries were reported, Israeli Radio said.

The Israel Radio Arabic-service quoted an Israeli army spokesman as saying that a makeshift rocket was fired from Gaza Strip at southern costal town of Ashkelon, adding that no damages or injuries were reported.

No one claimed responsibility for the rocket attack. However, on Friday a new radical group called "The Nation's Army" claimed responsibility for firing a rocket from Gaza at southern Israeli town of Sderot.

Firing rocket is in violation of a unilateral ceasefire, which was respectively declared by Israel and Hamas movement on January 18, ending 22 days of Israeli military assault on the enclave.

Egypt has been exerting efforts to mediate a longer time truce between Israel and Hamas. However, Hamas and other Gaza militant groups conditioned a ceasefire with ending the Israeli blockade and reopening all its border crossings.

Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batsh said in a statement that his group would give an answer to Egypt on whether accepting a one-and-a-half-year truce with Israel before February 5.

Media reports coming from Cairo, following the end of the truce talks between Egypt and Gaza militant groups last week, said that the truce is expected to be declared in Cairo on February 5.

(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2009)