Hamas Fires Rockets at Israel as Gaza Toll Continues to Rise

Hamas launched rockets at Israel for the first time since a ceasefire collapsed two months ago, with the Israeli military claiming that three rockets were fired from Gaza toward central Israel on Thursday, CNN reported. According to the report, one of the rockets was intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome defense system, while the other two fell in open areas. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

Confirming that Hamas had launched an attack, the group’s military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, told CNN that it had “bombed the city of Tel Aviv deep inside the occupied territories with a barrage of M90 rockets” in response to Israel’s attacks this week on Gaza that killed hundreds.

The latest attack comes in response to Israel’s renewed military offensive in Gaza, which began earlier this week, shattering the two-month truce between the two sides.

Since Israel resumed its offensive, airstrikes have targetted a wide range of sites, killing scores of Palestinians. The ongoing fighting has left at least 58 people dead overnight, the Associated Press reported early Thursday, citing reports from local hospitals.

The escalation comes amid heightened tensions over a failure to reach a lasting peace agreement, with Hamas rejecting Israel’s new ceasefire proposal. The collapse of the ceasefire agreement has intensified crisis in Gaza, where basic supplies such as food, fuel, and medical aid are increasingly scarce.

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