GAZA STRIP: The armed wing of Palestinian resistance group Hamas said Sunday it had fired a “large rocket barrage” at Israel’s commercial hub of Tel Aviv, with the military reporting it had intercepted several. Meanwhile, Israeli forces have intensified relentless bombardments in Gaza, including in the far-southern city of Rafah.
The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the military arm of Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attack, citing retaliation against what they termed as “Zionist massacres against civilians.” The Palestinian group said in a post on Telegram that they had targeted Tel Aviv “with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist (Israeli) massacres against civilians”.
According to reports, at least eight rockets were fired from Gaza’s far-southern city of Rafah towards central Israel. The Israeli military reported intercepting several projectiles.
The sudden barrage of rockets reignited fears of renewed violence and instability in the region, as tensions between Israeli forces and Hamas continue to simmer. The Israeli military has deployed air defense systems to intercept the incoming projectiles.
Meanwhile, Israel’s armed forces continued relentless bombardment in Gaza.
Overnight Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling struck various areas of the besieged Gaza Strip, northern, central and southern areas of Gaza. Intense Israeli bombardments were reported in the far-southern city of Rafah, despite a chorus of international opposition to a ground invasion of the city. However, international opposition has mounted against a ground invasion in Rafah.
At least 35,984 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed and 80,643 wounded in Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since October 7, Reuters quoted Gaza’s health ministry as saying.
The past 24 hours alone saw 58 Palestinian fatalities across Gaza, including the tragic deaths of six persons from the same family in Rafah, Al Jazeera reported citing a health official in the enclave. Additionally, six more Palestinians were killed in an attack on a women’s center in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
Meanwhile, mediator Egypt continued its efforts to reactivate ceasefire negotiations, according to reports from Al-Qahera News, which has links with Egyptian intelligence.
Israel has signaled its readiness to engage in new truce negotiations with Hamas. Despite ongoing bombardment from Israel’s armed forces, diplomatic efforts are expected to resume in the coming days in pursuit of a ceasefire and potential release of hostages.
Israeli media outlets have suggested progress in the negotiation framework for a ceasefire. Intelligence chief David Barnea reportedly agreed to this framework during a meeting with America’s CIA chief and Qatari mediators in Paris.
In a recorded message broadcast by Al Jazeera, Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades, said that their fighters had ambushed and captured Israeli soldiers inside a tunnel. “Our fighters lured a Zionist force into an ambush inside a tunnel … The fighters withdrew after they left all members of the force dead, injured, and captured,” Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for Al Qassam Brigades said.
However, the Israeli military refutes these allegations, stating that there has been no incident of soldiers being abducted.
Hamas released a video that appeared to show a bloodied person being dragged along the ground in a tunnel and photos of military fatigue and rifles.
