Hamas fired a barrage of rockets toward Tel Aviv after Israel bombed several targets linked to the militant group in Gaza, as fighting intensified after a year of war.
The Israel Defense Forces said they intercepted most of the projectiles fired from Palestinian territory on Monday, as sirens sounded across central Israel.. Two people were injured in the attack, according to Israeli health officials. The military had previously sought to prevent what it called an “immediate” threat of rocket fire by the Iran-backed organization to mark its attack on the country 12 months ago.
The exchange of fire, along with Israel’s decision to send troops back to parts of northern Gaza over the weekend, underscored the danger that Benjamin Netanyahu’s government still sees in Hamas.
This despite the militant group suffering huge losses since its invasion on October 7 last year, and Israeli authorities estimate that about half of its approximately 35,000 fighters have been killed.
According to Hamas’ Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilian and combatant casualties, Israeli operations in Gaza have killed nearly 42,000 people.The territory has been devastated by the conflict and a large part of its population, more than two million people, has been displaced.
In addition to Gaza, Israel is carrying out a ground and air offensive on its northern border with Lebanon to combat Hezbollah, another Iranian-backed group. The IDF said on Monday that it had deployed a third division to the south of the country, where they are carrying out an extensive bombing campaign, while maintaining airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut.
According to local authorities, in recent weeks more than 1,500 people have died in Lebanon due to Israeli bombings and around a million have been displaced. Meanwhile, Israel is expected to retaliate against Iran for an attack with 200 ballistic missiles last week.
The Israeli prime minister, speaking to troops in the country’s north, vowed to continue fighting on multiple fronts and said the country’s enemies are on the defensive. “A year ago we suffered a terrible blow,” he said. “Since then, we have changed reality in all areas. “The whole world is amazed by the blows you are dealing to our enemies.”
Israel has been in a state of war since Hamas stormed communities and military bases in southern Israel on October 7 last year, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 250. About 100 hostages remain in Gaza, although the Israeli military believes around a third of them are dead. On Monday, Israel declared dead a person kidnapped at the Nova music festival, an event that was the target of the invasion.
Both Hezbollah and Hamas are considered terrorist organizations by the United States and many other countries. In a Hebrew post on
In northern Gaza, the most populated area of the Palestinian territory before the war began, Israel has stepped up air and ground attacks, warning that Hamas is trying to rebuild the area. The IDF claimed that the planes attacked shuttles and underground infrastructure throughout the territory.
Israel sent troops to southern Lebanon last week, saying it had no choice because U.S. diplomatic effortsFrance and other countries to stop a year of missile and drone attacks by Hezbollah had failed. Israeli troops are operating in Lebanese villages near the border, and the army says it has destroyed thousands of Hezbollah weapons and facilities.
Hezbollah claimed to have detonated several bombs on the Yaroun and Maroun el Ras roads against Israeli troops advancing there over the weekend. The group continues to fire rockets at Israel, as it has done since the start of the war in Gaza, and 10 people were hospitalized on Sunday after the attacks in Haifa and the Lower Galilee, according to emergency services.
Israel continued its airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, and television images showed explosions following a late attack near the country’s main airport. It also carried out attacks against border towns in southern Lebanon, including Bint Jbeil. About 10 firefighters were killed in an Israeli attack on the city, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.
At least 25 people were killed and 96 others injured on Sunday, the ministry said.Netanyahu’s government has ignored calls for a ceasefire with Hezbollah. Their campaign is part of a plan to ensure that tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes in the north.
