Hamas launches thousands of rockets at Israel, killing one
Thousands of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday morning, breaking a ceasefire that had largely held since the end of the five-day war in May, according to the Associated Press.
The Israeli military said sirens sounded in several cities around the Palestinian territory, as well as deeper inside the country, in the north and east. Sirens also sounded in Jerusalem.
Magen David Adom, the Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross, said one woman was killed in Israel and another 15 people were injured. A rocket also fell on the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv, where a man was slightly injured by shrapnel.
The Israel Defense Forces said they were mobilising soldiers and declaring a "war alert". Reservists are also being called up, according to Digi24.
The Palestinian group Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. The group's military commander, Muhammad Al-Deif, released a recorded message announcing the "Al-Aqsa Storm" operation and stating that the Palestinian militant group "targeted enemy positions, airports and military positions with 5,000 rockets".
Also, according to the source cited, the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would meet with senior security officials in the coming hours.
In May, Israel launched an offensive against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, triggering a five-day war between the Israeli army, the Islamic Jihad and other armed groups in the territory, a war that resulted in the death of 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.
Over a thousand rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip at Israel since then, most of which were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system. Israel, for its part, has stepped up its airstrikes on the small territory.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
