Israel prepares for escalation with Gaza

JERUSALEM, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Israel was preparing on Monday for escalation with Gaza militants with the army taking steps "to improve readiness" after an overnight rocket attack.

Roads were blocked in the south and all trains were canceled in south of the city of Ashkelon.

"Following the situation assessment and as part of the steps taken to improve readiness, it has been decided in the Gaza Division to block areas and routes adjacent to the security fence with Gaza," a military notice said.

Agriculture workers in the areas adjacent to the fence between Israel and the Gaza Strip were instructed to stop their work and refrain from entering their fields.

In Ashkelon, the military's Home Front Command and the municipality were opening all of the shelters in the city and preparing them for use.

Hamas, an Islamist movement that runs the Gaza Strip, denied launching the rocket that hit a home in central Israel early on Monday morning.

The strike injured seven people, including three children.

According to Ronen Manelis, spokesman with the Israeli military, the rocket was a Hamas-made long-range rocket that was launched from a Hamas position in Gaza.

A few hours after the attack, the army called up reserves to reinforce the deployment of the Iron Dome anti-rocket systems and sent two brigades to the south near Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will cut short his visit to Washington and return to Israel after his meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump later Monday.