Gaza militants fire at Israel during Obama visit

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police say Gaza militants have fired two rockets at southern Israel on the second day of President Barack Obama's visit to the region.

Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld says one rocket exploded in the courtyard of a house in the border town of Sderot, causing damage but no injuries. The other landed in an open field.

As a presidential candidate in 2008, Obama visited Sderot, which is frequently targeted by rocket attacks from the nearby Gaza Strip. The territory is ruled by the militant Palestinian Hamas group.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Thursday's attack, which came as Obama was in Jerusalem. He is to visit the West Bank city of Ramallah later in the day.

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Palestinian lawmaker, mother of militants, dies

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A firebrand Palestinian lawmaker known as the "mother of martyrs" who championed her sons' attacks on Israelis has died.

Health official Ashraf Al-Kidra says lawmaker Mariam Farhat died Sunday in a Gaza hospital of health complications including lung ailments and kidney failure.

Farhat, who was 64, lost three sons in militant activities against Israelis.

In 2002, she recorded a farewell video with her 17-year-old son Mohammed, giving him her blessing the night before a shooting attack in a Jewish settlement. He killed five seminary students before he was shot dead by soldier.

Two other sons were killed by Israeli forces while they were preparing attacks, and another son is in an Israeli prison.

About 4,000 Palestinians attended her funeral, including Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

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UN: Palestinian militants likely killed Gaza baby

JERUSALEM (AP) — A U.N. report indicates an errant Palestinian rocket, not an Israeli airstrike, likely killed the baby of a BBC reporter during fighting in the Hamas-ruled territory last November.

The death of Omar al-Masharawi, the 11-month-old son of BBC stringer Jihad al-Masharawi, became a symbol of what Palestinians see as Israeli aggression during eight days of fighting that killed more than 160 Palestinians and six Israelis. A woman was killed alongside the baby.

Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes to stop Palestinian rocket salvos.

The U.N. office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a March 6 report that the incident was caused by "what appeared to be a Palestinian rocket that fell short of Israel."

Hamas had no response Monday. BBC officials were not immediately available for comment.

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