5000 Palestinian rockets from Gaza strip hit Israel, 'state of war' declared

Israel announced a 'state of war' on October 7, following rocket attacks from the blockaded Gaza strip, resulting in at least one casualty, as per AFP reports. The Israeli army alerted citizens in southern and central regions to stay close to bomb shelters due to the escalating situation.

The armed faction of the Palestinian organization, Hamas, claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that their militants had launched over 5,000 rockets. Unverified amateur videos on social media depicted uniformed gunmen in the Israeli border town of Sderot, with audible gunfire.

Sounds of rockets launching from Gaza were heard as far as Tel Aviv, approximately 70 kilometres north, during the early morning assault lasting over 30 minutes. Mohammed Deif, the rarely-seen leader of Hamas’ military wing, announced a new military operation against Israel, named 'Operation Al-Aqsa Storm'.

Deif's message was delivered via a recorded statement, in which he claimed that 5,000 rockets had been launched into Israel, marking the beginning of the operation.

This recent escalation follows a period of intense conflict in the West Bank, where nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids this year. Israel claims the raids target militants, however, fatalities have included stone-throwing protestors and uninvolved civilians. Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets have also resulted in over 30 deaths.

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