The armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas said it was behind the fire.
New Delhi:
Barrages of rockets were fired from the blockaded Gaza Strip on Saturday, killing at least one person in Israelan AFP journalist and medics said.
The Israeli army warned of sirens across the country’s south and central areas, urging the public to stay near bomb shelters.
The armed wing of Palestinian group Hamas said it was behind the fire, claiming its militants had launched more than 5,000 rockets.
“We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel), their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over,” the group said.
“We announce Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired, in the first strike of 20 minutes, more than 5,000 rockets.”
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Palestinian militant group Hamas has launched a “war” against Israel, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, after barrages of rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory on Saturday.
“Hamas has made a grave mistake this morning and launched a war against the State of Israel,” Gallant said in a statement.
“IDF troops (Israeli army) are fighting against the enemy at every location.”
Hundreds of residents in the Gaza Strip fled their homes to move away from the border with Israel after barrages of rockets were fired from the coastal enclave into Israel, an AFP correspondent reported.
Men, women and children were seen carrying blankets and food items as they left their homes, mostly in the northeastern part of the Palestinian territory, the reporter said.
#Israel is under a combined attack from Gaza during the Jewish holiday.
Both by rockets and ground infiltration of Hamas terrorists.The situation is not simple but Israel will prevail.
– Naor Gilon (@NaorGilon) October 7, 2023
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007 after Hamas took power.
Palestinian militants and Israel have fought several devastating wars since.
The latest fire follows a period of heightened tensions in September, when Israel closed the border to Gazan workers for two weeks.
The shutdown of the crossing came as Palestinian protest rocked the heavily militarised border.
