The Palestinian resistance movement of Hamas has carried out missile strikes on the southern Israeli-occupied territories in response to the killing of civilians by the regime’s forces in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas’ military wing, the Ezzoddin al-Qassam Brigades, in a statement posted on its Telegram channel, said that resistance fighters targeted the city of Ashdod with several missiles.
The Israeli media reported that air raid sirens were activated in several areas, including in the city of Tel Aviv, after missiles were fired from Gaza towards Ashdod and Ashkelon. They said one of the missiles fell on a building.
According to an Israeli news website, property damage was caused and one person was injured in Ashkelon, but Qatar-based Al Jazeera news network said several people had been injured.
Israel’s Channel 12 also reported a higher number of casualties in Ashkelon. Citing hospital sources, it said 27 people were treated for injuries as a result of the missile hitting the city.
Hamas: Resistance stands firm on battlefield
Hamas spokesperson Jihad Taha also said in an interview with Al Jazeera that the strikes were in retaliation for the continued Israeli massacre and genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
“The resistance continues to manage the battlefield with the necessary tactics and has leverage over the Zionist regime,” he said, adding that Israel must adhere to the ceasefire agreement as Hamas has been interacting positively to any proposal to stop the bloodshed in Gaza.
Taha underlined that the Palestinians “will never allow the Israeli regime to impose its conditions,” and that the mediating parties, including the United States, must examine the situation carefully.
Protests and gatherings against Israeli crimes indicate popular support for Gaza in a situation where aggression against Palestinians continues, he added.
Netanyahu in hot water
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under fresh criticism over the war on Gaza and his failure to stop the Palestinian resistance.
Knesset member Avigdor Lieberman, who is the head of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said that a year and a half has passed since the war and rockets are still being fired, while 59 prisoners still remain in Gaza. “Talking about total victory is meaningless,” he added, according to Palestine Chronicle.
Benny Gantz, a former member of the Israeli war cabinet, also criticized the policies of Netanyahu, acknowledging that the regime has not achieved any victory in the Gaza war.
“We do not feel victorious at all because after a year and a half of war, we still have to quickly go to shelters”, Gantz said, adding that “What victory Netanyahu is talking about?
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