CAIRO, Oct. 8 Al-Qassam Brigades ( the military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement) said they fired a salvo of rockets towards Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.
“The Al-Qassam Brigades fired a salvo of rockets at the Zionist (Israeli — ed.) Ben Gurion Airport in response to ongoing crimes and shelling of civilian homes,” the military wing of Hamas said in a statement.
The Brigades also reported that they had fired 100 rockets towards the city of Ashkelon in southern Israel.
The Israeli army also said that rocket sirens had gone off in central Israel.
On Saturday morning, Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. The press service of the Israeli army said that more than 3 thousand rockets were launched. In addition, Hamas fighters, after massive rocket attacks, penetrated into the border areas in southern Israel.
The military wing of the Palestinian Hamas movement on Saturday announced Operation Al-Aqsa Deluge against Israel. The Israel Defense Forces announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an address to the nation, said that the country was in a state of war and said that he had ordered a widespread mobilization of reserves. The Israeli military is clearing populated areas.
The Jerusalem Post reported that the death toll in Israel during the escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict exceeded 300, and more than 1.5 thousand people were injured. According to the latest data from the Palestinian Ministry of Health, the death toll as a result of Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has increased to 232, almost 1.7 thousand people were injured.
Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) said they had captured dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers.
Russia calls on Israel and Palestine to cease fire and return to the negotiating table, said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov.
The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, related to the territorial interests of the parties, has been a source of tension and clashes for many decades in the region. A UN decision with the active role of the USSR in 1947 determined the creation of two states — Israel and Palestine, but only the Israeli one was created. Israel, while declaring agreement with the two-state principle, did not completely liberate the Palestinian territories.