Three rockets fired from Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel late Sunday afternoon, said Israeli sources, shortly after Hamas announced its a week-long ceasefire plan.

One of the rockets hit an open area near the southern town of Netivot, said the sources, adding that no casualties or damages were reported.

The latest barrage came shortly after Hamas and some other Palestinian factions announced to stage a ceasefire with Israel and give Israel a one-week ultimatum to end its military occupation in the Palestinian enclave.

Earlier in the day, about a dozen rockets and three mortar shells were fired at southern Israel, leaving two people injured. Israeli warplanes struck the launching sites in response.

Israel has put on a unilateral ceasefire since 2 a.m. (0000 GMT), during which Israeli troops said they would hold unprovoked fire but respond harshly to any Palestinian attacks.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2009)