U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that he would return to the Middle East later in May for separate talks with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Reuters reported May 8.

The Israeli air force launched a strike against a terror facility and weapons storage site in southern Gaza on April 28 in response to overnight rocket fire on the Sdot Negev Regional Council, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Two rockets fired from Gaza struck in open areas in Israel's Eshkol Regional Council at around 11 p.m. on April 18, causing no damage or injuries, Ynet and Haaretz reported.

Outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on April 17 called for general elections in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Haaretz reported.