Rocket sirens blared across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, on Sunday for the first time in months as Hamas claimed responsibility for a rocket barrage launched from Gaza, according to a Reuters report.
Hamas’ armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, announced a “big missile attack” on Tel Aviv. The Israeli military responded by sounding alarms across the central city to warn residents of incoming rockets. In a statement on its Telegram channel, al-Qassam Brigades stated that the rockets were launched in retaliation for what it described as “Zionist massacres against civilians.” Hamas’ Al-Aqsa TV confirmed the rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip.
This incident marks the first time in four months that rocket sirens have been heard in Tel Aviv. The Israeli military has yet to provide further details on the cause of the sirens.
Israeli emergency medical services reported no casualties from the attack.
According to the BBC, at least eight rockets were launched from the Rafah area in southern Gaza, with several intercepted by Israeli defenses. Alert sirens were also heard in other cities and towns, including Herzliya and Petah Tikva.
The missile attack followed the entry of a new batch of aid trucks into Gaza from southern Israel under a recent agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing, which has been blocked for weeks. This aid shipment results from a US-Egypt agreement to temporarily allow aid through the crossing. Israel faces increasing pressure to provide more aid to Gaza after over seven months of conflict, which has caused significant damage and food shortages in the territory.
Earlier in the day, Israeli airstrikes killed at least five Palestinians in Rafah, as reported by local medical services. Israeli tanks conducted operations near the city’s outskirts, especially close to the main southern crossing into Egypt, without a major incursion into the city.
Israel asserts that its military actions aim to eliminate Hamas fighters entrenched in Rafah and to free hostages allegedly held in the area. However, the operations have worsened the humanitarian crisis for civilians and drawn international condemnation.
Gaza’s health ministry reports nearly 36,000 Palestinian casualties from Israel’s offensive. The operation began after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, resulting in approximately 1,200 casualties and over 250 hostages, according to Israeli records.
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