Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday said it launched rockets into southern Israel in response to what it called Israeli “massacres” of civilians in Gaza.
Israel’s military said about 10 projectiles were fired but most were intercepted. One rocket reportedly struck the southern city of Ashkelon, according to Israel’s Channel 12.
Emergency services in Israel said one person sustained shrapnel injuries, while videos showed smashed car windows and debris scattered across a street.
Following the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a “strong response,” according to a statement from his office.
“The prime minister instructed to deliver a strong response and approved the continuation of the intensified IDF operations in Gaza against Hamas,” his office said in a statement, adding that Netanyahu spoke to Defence Minister Israel Katz from his aeroplane as he travelled to Washington.
Minutes after the statement, the Israeli military issued an order for residents of several areas in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah to evacuate ahead of planned strikes, indicating that the rocket fire originated from there.
“To all residents of the Gaza Strip located in the Deir el-Balah area… this is a final and urgent warning before the attack,” said Avichay Adraee, the military’s Arabic-language spokesman, on X.
“We will launch a severe strike on any area from which rockets are fired… For your safety, you must immediately move south to the known shelters in the Mawasi area.”
AFP/Reuters
