Hamas fires rockets at Israeli cities as Israel issues evacuation orders in Gaza

Palestinian militant group Hamas on Sunday fired a barrage of rockets at cities in Israel's south in response to the Israeli killing of civilians in Gaza.

According to Israel's military, about 10 projectiles were fired, but most were successfully intercepted.

The Israeli emergency services said they were treating one person for shrapnel injuries, stating that teams were en route to locations of fallen rockets.

Gaza local health authorities said Israeli military strikes killed no fewer than 39 people across the Gaza Strip on Sunday.

The Israeli military, shortly after the rocket firing, posted on X a new evacuation order, instructing residents of several districts in Deir Al-Balah city in the central Gaza Strip to leave their areas, citing earlier rocket firing.

“This is a final warning before the attack,” the military warning statement said.

It later said that it struck the rocket launcher from which projectiles were launched earlier from the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a flight to Washington for a meeting with US President Donald Trump, was briefed on the rocket attack by his Defense Minister, Israel Katz.

In a statement by his office, the prime minister ordered that a vigorous response be carried out and approved the continuation of intensive activity by the Israeli military against Hamas.

It will be recalled that the first phase of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into force on January 19 after 15 months of war and involved a halt to fighting, the release of some of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israel said on March 19 that its forces resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip.

Both parties blamed one another for a stalemate in the ceasefire talks.

Palestinian officials said more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza.

According to Israeli tallies, Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages.