GAZA, June 9 (Xinhuanet) -- Palestinian security forces foiled an attempt by militants to fire rockets from the northern Gaza strip at Israel, the Interior Ministry said Thursday.

    In a statement, the ministry said residents in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun informed the Palestinian security forces that a group of militants were attempting to launch homemade rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot.

    The residents clashed with the militants in a bid to prevent the rocket attack and as the security forces reached the scene, the militants ran away, the statement said.

    Security forces opened fire at the militants but no casualties were reported, it added.

    It was not known to which group the militants belonged. 

    Beit Hanoun, sitting on the borders between the northern Gaza tip and southern Israel, has been favored by militants to launch rocket attacks.

    In a separate incident, Palestinian police confiscated three homemade rockets on Tuesday night when militants were to attack Jewish settlements in northern Gaza, said the statement.  

    The militants also kidnapped a Palestinian police officer who tried to foil their attack attempt, but released him as soon as large security troops arrived, said the statement, adding that the militants escaped.

    Attacks engined by militants on Israeli targets have dropped significantly since the Palestinian and Israeli leaders declared a ceasefire deal in February.

    But violence has resurged in the volatile Gaza Strip lately, shaking the fragile calmness ahead of the Israeli withdrawal from the desert coastal strip and northern West Bank.

    The Palestinian leadership is trying to keep the security situation under control, a crucial step demanded by Israel to revive the stalled peace negotiations.  Enditem