Israeli military says it has started striking Hamas in Gaza after overnight rocket attack

An early morning rocket from the Gaza Strip has struck a house in central Israel on Monday, wounding seven people, raising concerns the attack could set off another round of violence shortly before the Israeli election.

The sounds of air raid sirens woke up the residents of the residential Sharon area, northeast of Tel Aviv, on Monday, sending them scurrying to bomb shelters. A strong sound of an explosion followed.

The Israeli military says it identified a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip. Israeli police say the rocket hit a residential home in the community of Mishmeret, north of the city of Kfar Saba, setting off a fire and destroying the house.

The World Health Organization has delivered medical supplies to the Gaza Strip to address the blockaded territory's growing trauma and emergency care needs.

The organization said on Monday that the aid shipment, donated by the European Union, would cover the needs of up to 120,000 patients injured during demonstrations and protests.

It cited shortages of medical supplies in Gaza's stressed health care system, exacerbated by recent hostilities. Close to 190 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire during Hamas-orchestrated weekly rallies along the Israel-Gaza border fence.

WHO says it's scaling up its trauma care resources and appealing for funding ahead of a potential escalation and the one year anniversary of the protest movement at the end of the month.

The Magen David Adom rescue service said it was treating seven people, including two women who were moderately wounded. The others, including two children and an infant, had minor wounds.

The Israeli military says it will halt agricultural work near the security fence that separates Israel from the Gaza Strip "to improve readiness" for an escalation after an overnight rocket attack.

The military said Monday it would block routes and areas on the Israeli side of the fence and requested that residents "follow security instructions as long as necessary." Thousands of acres of Israeli farmland lie adjacent to the Gaza frontier.

A long-range rocket fired from the Gaza Strip slammed into a house in central Israel and wounded seven people early Monday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a tough response while Gaza's Hamas leaders went into hiding, setting the stage for a possible major conflagration just two weeks before Israeli elections.