For the first time in months, rocket sirens sounded in Tel Aviv as Hamas' armed wing launched a 'big missile' attack on the Israeli city on Sunday.
The Al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' armed wing, claimed responsibility for the strike in a statement on its Telegram channel, calling it retaliation for "Zionist massacres against civilians." The statement did not detail the extent of the attack or any damage or casualties.
This escalation is part of ongoing violence between Hamas and Israel, resulting in increasing civilian casualties on both sides.
Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV reported that rockets fired from the Gaza Strip triggered sirens in Tel Aviv for the first time in several months. The Israeli military did not immediately explain the sirens. According to Israeli emergency medical services, no casualties were reported.
The attack demonstrated that Hamas retains the capability to launch long-range missiles despite enduring over seven months of relentless Israeli military assaults.
Earlier on Sunday, aid trucks entered Gaza from southern Israel under a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which Israeli forces seized earlier this month.
As a temporary measure, Egypt agreed to divert traffic through Israel's Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza's primary cargo terminal, following a call between US President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.
Despite Israel's claim of allowing hundreds of trucks to enter, UN agencies report that retrieving the aid is often too dangerous due to the fighting near Rafah.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, now in its eighth month, has resulted in nearly 36,000 Palestinian deaths, according to local health officials.
Approximately 80% of the territory's 2.3 million inhabitants have been displaced, with severe hunger widespread. UN officials report that certain areas are experiencing famine conditions as well.
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