The Hamas armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, announced a significant missile attack on Tel Aviv on Sunday, prompting the Israeli military to activate sirens in the central city, warning of potential incoming rockets.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, al-Qassam Brigades claimed the rockets were launched in retaliation for what it described as “Zionist massacres against civilians.” Hamas’s Al-Aqsa TV confirmed that the rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military reported that at least eight rockets were launched towards central Israel from Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces are engaged in intense combat with Palestinian armed groups.
The military added that “some of the rockets were intercepted,” and an AFP correspondent in Gaza witnessed rockets being launched from Rafah.
This marks the first rocket sirens heard in Tel Aviv in four months, with the Israeli military not immediately specifying the reason for the sirens.
The attack demonstrated that the Islamist faction could still launch long-range rockets despite enduring over seven months of intense Israeli military offensives from both air and ground.
A senior Israeli official reported to AFP that a war cabinet meeting is scheduled for this afternoon 6:00 pm GMT in Jerusalem to discuss efforts to secure the release of hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
