For the first time in months, sirens blared in Tel Aviv on Sunday as Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades, launched a rocket attack on Israel’s largest city.
In a statement, the Al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for the rocket barrage, stating, “We bombed Tel Aviv with a large rocket barrage in response to the massacres against civilians.” The group also released a video purportedly showing rocket trails streaking through the sky.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that sirens sounded across central Israel after “eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah into Israeli territory.” According to the IDF, several projectiles were intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defense Array.
Israel’s National Emergency Medical Service (MDA) confirmed that there were no reports of serious injuries. “Following the Red Alert sirens heard in the center of the country: MDA teams did not locate casualties at any of the scenes, except for a patient who was lightly injured on the way to the protected space, and a number of victims with stress symptoms,” an MDA statement read.
In retaliation, the IDF conducted an airstrike targeting the area in Rafah from which the rockets were launched. The IDF indicated that the launch site was “situated near two mosques in the area of Rafah.”
This recent rocket attack breaks a period of relative calm, as sirens had not sounded in Tel Aviv for four months due to Gaza-related rocket attacks. Hamas has frequently launched rockets at areas surrounding Gaza but has refrained from targeting Tel Aviv with longer-range rockets in recent months.
