Palestinian and Israeli leaders say they remain committed to a Gaza ceasefire, even though militants launched rockets after the truce came into effect Sunday.

The militants fired rockets into southern Israel, just hours after Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced the agreement.

A woman stands in her living room after it was hit by a rocket in the Israel town of Sderot.
(Ariel Schalit/Associated Press)

Two Palestinian militant factions, both signatories to the ceasefire agreement, are claiming responsibility for the attacks.

The militant wing of the Palestinian ruling party Hamas said it launched the rockets because some Israeli troops remained in Gaza, despite Israel's announcement that it had pulled out all its troops overnight.

The Islamic jihad group issued a statement saying it would not agree to a ceasefire while Israel continued any military activity in the West Bank.

A deal reached

Abbas said he told Olmert he had reached a deal with all Palestinian factions, who agreed to stop firing rockets into Israel from the coastal strip, said an Olmert spokeswoman, Miri Eisin.

But five rockets were fired into Israel after the ceasefire came into effect at 6 a.m. local time on Sunday, witnesses said. One of the rockets tore through the roof of a house in town of Sderot, causing extensive damage but no injuries.

Abbas met with his security chiefs on Sunday and ordered them to send their forces to the Gaza border area to prevent any more rocket attacks, according to Palestinian security officials.

A spokesman for Abbas described the rocket fire as a temporary breach of the ceasefire and said both Abbas and Olmert remained committed to the truce.