On Sunday, the Palestinian militant organization Hamas launched a large number of rockets towards several cities in southern Israel. The Israeli military stated that Hamas fired approximately 10 rockets, with most of them successfully intercepted by the Israeli Defense Forces.
According to Channel 12, one of the rockets hit the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Rescue teams are on their way to the site where the rocket landed.
A video released by Israeli emergency services showed shattered car windows and other debris scattered on a street in an Israeli city following the rocket attacks by Hamas.
The Israeli emergency services department reported that they are treating a person injured by shrapnel.
In response to the Hamas rocket attacks, the IDF launched a counterattack. Late on Sunday, the Israeli military issued a new evacuation order on social media, instructing residents of several areas in the central city of Deir Al-Balah in the Gaza Strip to leave their homes.
The Israeli Defense Forces stated in a warning message, “This is the final warning before the attack.”
According to the local health authorities in Gaza, the military strikes carried out by Israel on Sunday resulted in at least 39 fatalities.
After 15 months of conflict, Israel and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement which came into effect on January 19. The agreement included terms such as cessation of hostilities, the release of some Israeli hostages taken during a raid by Hamas in October of the previous year, and the release of some Palestinian prisoners. On March 18, the ceasefire agreement collapsed, leading to the resumption of Israeli ground operations in central and southern Gaza. Both sides have blamed each other’s positions for the deadlock in the second-stage ceasefire negotiations.
Public reports indicate that on October 7, 2023, Hamas led thousands of gunmen in an attack on Israeli southern communities, causing 1200 deaths, 251 people taken hostage, and sparking the conflict in Gaza.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters)