Five Palestinians were injured when a misfired projectile landed in the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, witnesses said Tuesday.

The misfiring proceeded after Israeli officials announced six projectiles landing in open areas of the western Negev, with no injuries reported.

Eyewitnesses said projectiles were being launched from areas in the north of the Strip, when a sudden explosion was heard in the Beit Hanoun area. Neighbors said it hit a residential area and injured five.

Medical sources at the Beit Hanoun Hospital said the injured were from the Al-Amoudi and Abu Uda families. They were all hospitalized at 10:00pm after sustaining wounds from shrapnel and a small fire that broke out in one of the homes. Medics said four of the victims suffered light to moderate injuries, while a fifth was seriously injured, sustaining fractures to his feet. He was transferred to the Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, they said.

Commenting on the incident, senior leader of the Palestinian People’s Party (PPP) Walid Awad called on armed Palestinian groups to immediately stop firing homemade projectiles from the Gaza Strip.

"These projectiles do not harm the occupation and pose a threat to Palestinian citizens," he said, adding that projectile fire was used as an excuse by Israel to continue launching airstrikes on Gaza, to invade the West Bank, to continue building settlements and to finalize plans for a new invasion of Gaza.

Awad reiterated the call of the 2006 Prisoners Document for a Palestinian national agreement, saying there must be a united front against Israel that did not include the launch of projectiles at this time.