Tel Aviv beneath assault from rockets fired from Rafah in Gaza

Tel Aviv has come under attack for the first time in months with at least eight rockets fired towards central Israel on Sunday originating from Gaza‘s far-southern city of Rafah, the Israeli military has confirmed.

Hamas‘s military wing claimed responsibility for the attack on Sunday, according to Press Association.

The Israel Defence Force (IDF) showed a map on X (formerly known as Twitter)  shortly after 12pm on Sunday showing at least 26 locations where red alert sirens are in place, meaning residents should evacuate to a shelter.

Areas affected by the sirens include the heavily populated areas of Petah Tikva, Herzliya and Kfar Saba.

An AFP correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported seeing rockets being fired from Rafah, while the military said that ‘some of the rockets were intercepted’ by Israeli air defences.

An official post from the IDF showed a photograph of the rockets overhead from the Rafah crossing, which lies around 60 miles away from Tel Aviv.

An official post from the IDF showed a photograph of the rockets overhead from the Rafah crossing

Posting on X, the IDF said: ‘A barrage of rockets was launched from Rafah toward central Israel moments ago. 

‘Humanitarian aid has been going into Gaza through the Kerem Shalom Crossing this morning, and now rockets are being fired at central Israel.’

There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage in what appeared to be the first long-range rocket attack from Gaza since January.

Earlier on Sunday, aid trucks 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.

But it is unclear if humanitarian groups will be able to access the aid because of ongoing fighting in the area.

Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to Palestinians. 

It agreed to temporarily divert traffic through Israel’s Kerem Shalom crossing, Gaza’s main cargo terminal, after a call between US President Joe Biden and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi.

But that crossing has been largely inaccessible because of fighting linked to Israel’s offensive in the nearby city of Rafah. 

Israel says it has allowed hundreds of trucks to enter, but United Nations agencies say it is usually too dangerous to retrieve the aid on the other side. 

A map on the official Israel X account shows where the air raid sirens are sounding for the first time in months across central Israel 

The war between Israel and Hamas, now in its eighth month, has killed nearly 36,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. 

Around 80 per cent of the population’s 2.3 million people have fled their homes, with UN officials saying severe hunger is widespread and parts of the territory are experiencing famine.

Hamas triggered the war with its October 7 attack into Israel, in which militants killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and seized 250 hostages.

The terrorists are still holding some 100 hostages and the remains of around 30 others, with the remaining hostages released during a temporary ceasefire last year.

This is a developing story, more to follow.