Hamas on Thursday fired a rocket at central Israel for the group’s first retaliatory strike since the recent Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) offensive. The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said it launched the salvo of M90 rockets at Tel Aviv in retaliation for what it termed as “Zionist massacres against civilians.”
Iron Dome intercepted one rocket, the Israeli military said, with two others hitting open space and not killing anyone. No injuries were confirmed by Israeli police and have been clearing the area for shrapnel.
The attack comes after Israel’s announcement that it would reinstate military activities in Gaza following the collapse of a two-month ceasefire as negotiations between the two sides broke down. The Hamas-run health ministry stated that Israeli air attacks alone on Tuesday killed more than 400.
Israel has also reasserted control over the strategic Netzarim Corridor, effectively splitting Gaza and limiting movement between the north and south, further deepening the humanitarian crisis. With neither side indicating any signs of de-escalation, concerns are growing about an escalating conflict.
Hamas threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his behavior was putting hostages at risk, saying they now had “an unknown fate.” The wider regional situation is still tense, with the IDF’s operations ongoing as the U.S. military opens fire in Yemen targeting Iranian-aligned Houthi rebels. The Houthis shot a ballistic missile toward Israel on Wednesday, the second such attack since the ceasefire fell apart.
A few Israeli defense experts have admitted that Israel had breached the ceasefire terms, which had been negotiated only days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration. It had stipulated a 16-day window for negotiations towards a final agreement, but Israel did not let negotiations go on as long as Hamas was in Gaza’s control.
