HAMAS has fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel for the first time in months.
The Israeli military said eight projectiles crossed into Israel after being launched from the area of the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where Israeli forces recently launched an incursion. It said “a number” of the projectiles were intercepted.
Hamas’s military wing claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday, and rocket launches could be heard in central Gaza.
READ MORE: Pro-Palestine protests planned for Israel v Scotland match at Hampden
The projectiles set off air raid sirens as far away as Tel Aviv, in a show of resilience more than seven months into Israel’s massive air, sea and ground offensive.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January. Palestinian militants have continued to sporadically fire rockets and mortar rounds at communities along the Gaza border since then.
It comes as aid trucks have entered Gaza from southern Israel through a new agreement to bypass the Rafah crossing with Egypt, after Israeli forces seized the Palestinian side of it earlier this month.
Khaled Zayed, head of the Egyptian Red Crescent in the Sinai Peninsula, said 200 aid trucks and four fuel trucks are scheduled to be sent to Kerem Shalom, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, on Sunday.
There were also clashes between Israeli police and protesters in Tel Aviv on Saturday night after thousands gathered to demonstrate against the government and demand it brings back the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli bombardments are continuing in Gaza, and the health ministry said on Sunday the bodies of 81 people killed by Israeli strikes have been brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours.
That brings the overall Palestinian death toll from the war to at least 35,984, said the ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and fighters in its count.
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