gaza rockets israel
Rockets fired from Gaza City at Israel in a previous attack AFP

Hamas militant group has fired a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel, according to the Israel Defence Forces (IDF).

Rocket sirens were heard in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in what appeared to be the latest retaliation of the Palestinian militant group to Operation Protective Edge, Israel's military campaign against Gaza.

Iron Dome air defence system intercepted two rockets above the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel's largest city, according to IDF. But one rocket fired from Gaza hit the Tel Aviv area.

It also intercepted other rockets over the Ashdod area. Sirens were also heard in Ashkelon, Ashdod, Rishon Lezion, Yavne, Kiryat Malachi and Beit Shemesh.

The development came after Israeli forces advanced into the Gaza Strip overnight, despite calls from the UN Security Council for an immediate ceasefire.

Israeli jets and tanks continued to pound the Gaza Strip and killed 25 people from one family in Rafah, near Gaza's southern border with Egypt. Ten Palestinians from another family died in nearby Khan Younis after shells hit their home, according to hospital officials.

Following the overnight raid, the Palestinian death toll reached 484, comprising mostly civilians, while Israel says 18 of its soldiers have died along with two civilians.

Israel has also rejected reports that Hamas militants have abducted one of its soldiers in Gaza. The country's ambassador to the UN Ron Prosser said that "there is no kidnapped Israeli soldiers and those rumours are untrue". Earlier, Hamas' military wing, the al-Qassam brigades, released a video claiming it had captured the soldier.

Meanwhile, a humanitarian airlift for Gaza has taken off from Dubai, according to the UNRWA's spokesman Chris Gunness. The cargo includes 45,000 mattresses, 10,000 blankets, and 220 hygiene kits.

Related