The Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad says it has ordered its gunmen in the Gaza Strip to stop firing rockets at Israeli targets while Israel prepares for and completes its Gaza evacuation.

The group issued a statement Wednesday, a day after errant rocket fire into southern Israel killed a Palestinian child and wounded eight other Palestinians.  The Jihad statement denied responsibility.

Meanwhile, thousands of Jewish settlers and their right-wing supporters are protesting for a second straight day in southern Israel against the mid-August Gaza evacuation.

The protesters, encamped near the Israeli border town of Ofakim, have vowed to march to nearby Gaza later Wednesday, despite Israeli warnings that 15,000 police deployed in the area will stop them.

Israel closed Gaza to all Israeli non-residents last month, and police and troops have blocked earlier attempts by protesters to enter the territory.