Gaza City/Tel Aviv - Palestinian militants from the Gaza Strip intensified their rocket attacks against Israel Wednesday, as a six-month ceasefire is about to expire.

Seven Gaza-made rockets were launched at Israel's southern Negev desert, one of which hit a hothouse, a military spokeswoman in Tel Aviv said.

Israel had again closed its border crossings with the Gaza Strip Tuesday, after the radical Islamic Jihad faction fired four rockets into its territory.

A truce brokered by Egypt on June 19 between Israel and Palestinian militant factions active in Gaza, including the radical Hamas movement ruling the strip, is entering its last day Thursday.

Both sides have said they are interested in extending the truce, which already has all but collapsed over recent weeks, but have also threatened with harsh responses if the other did not abide by it.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, a senior Hamas leader in Gaza, said Tuesday the Palestinians would keep the "calm" if Israel did too, but Damascus- based Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal earlier this week threatened to end the truce.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said Israel would not be deterred from carrying out a large-scale military offensive in Gaza, but was also not "running toward it." (dpa)