Shortly after issuing a warning to evacuate Ashkelon City, the Hamas terrorist group launched an intense rocket assault on the southern coastal city today. The rocket barrage triggered alarms across the coastal city and neighboring towns, prompting the activation of the Iron Dome defense system to intercept and neutralize the rockets mid-flight.


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The terrorist organization had previously announced their intention to strike Ashkelon at 5 o'clock in response to Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip. Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for Hamas's Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, had issued a threat to Ashkelon, cautioning of a major rocket assault in the hours to come.



Urging the residents to ensure their safety, the Hamas leader advised them to vacate their homes. "In response to the enemy's crime of displacing our people and forcing them to flee their homes in several areas of the Gaza Strip, we give the residents of the occupied city of Ashkelon a deadline to leave before 5 p.m," Abu Obeida stated on his Telegram channel.



According to Al Jazeera's report on Tuesday, the Israeli retaliatory air raids following Hamas's 'surprise attack' have resulted in over 770 Palestinians losing their lives. The Gaza Health Ministry disclosed that at least 770 Palestinians have been killed, and 4,000 have sustained injuries due to Israeli air raids. Among the casualties are 140 children and 120 women, as per a ministry spokesperson.




Furthermore, Al Jazeera reported that at least 18 individuals lost their lives, with around 100 injured in the West Bank region since Saturday. Conversely, in the 'surprise attack' by Hamas on Israel on October 7, at least 900 Israelis lost their lives, and over 2,616 people suffered injuries. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) shared a war update stating that approximately 30 hostages are being held by Hamas in Gaza during the ongoing conflict. The IDF also reported that Hamas has fired about 4,500 rockets from Gaza into Israel, prompting the Israeli defense forces to strike 1,290 Hamas targets in Gaza.