JERUSALEM, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- A rocket fired by militants in the Gaza Strip hit an open field in southern Israel on Monday night, without causing damage or injuries, Israeli officials said.

"A projectile was launched from the Gaza Strip towards Israel," a military spokesperson said in a statement.

The police said that the rocket landed in the area of a community in the Eshkol Regional Council in the Negev desert.

The number of rockets fired by Gaza militants towards Israel has been rising since U.S. President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in a statement on December 6.

At least 13 Gazans were killed in clashes with Israeli military forces since Trump's announcement, and dozens more were injured.

The rockets are typically launched by Islamist groups in Gaza that challenge Hamas, the organization that runs the besieged Palestinian enclave.

Israel usually retaliates by striking Hamas posts, charging that it holds Hamas accountable for any hostility from Gaza.