The Israeli military said it had intercepted a missile launched from Yemen into southern Israel on Saturday, a day before a ceasefire is set to take effect in war-battered Gaza.

A missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted central Israel early Tuesday, causing sirens to blare and people to flee into bomb shelters.

Israel and its allies have escalated strikes against the Houthis, trying to force the Iran-backed group to stop firing on Israel and Red Sea shipping.

Explosions were heard over Jerusalem as sirens blared throughout the city and central Israel on Saturday morning, AFP reported. The Israeli military confirmed that it intercepted a projectile soon after it was launched at around 10:20am local time from Yemen. The incident came just ahead of a ceasefire in the ongoing Gaza conflict.

Israel struck Huthi targets in Yemen on Friday, including a power station and coastal ports, in response to missile and drone launches, as it warned it would hunt down the group's leaders.Before Friday's raids,

Sirens were activated in the southernmost Red Sea city of Eilat and the Arava Valley following the missile launch. According to the IDF, the missile was intercepted before crossing into Israeli territory, and no casualties were reported.

"We announce that we will suspend our military operations against [Israel]," the Nujaba Movement's leader said.

Palestinians and family members of hostages who were killed in captivity have been imploring the Israeli government and world leaders for a ceasefire deal.

The Gaza ceasefire will come into effect at 0630 GMT on Sunday. The White House expects three female hostages to be released to Israel in the afternoon through the Red Cross. Thirty-three of the 98 remaining Israeli hostages, including women, children, men over 50 and ill and wounded captives, are to be freed in the first phase of the ceasefire.

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Houthi, the commander of Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, has said that if Israel violates the newly declared truce in its fight against Hamas, the rebels will continue their attacks. Watch this report for more details!