In Pictures

Scenes from Hamas’s morning rocket attack on Israel

Air raid sirens wail across southern and central Israel, with the army urging people to stay near bomb shelters.

Israeli firefighters extinguish fire after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip — Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire after a rocket from the Gaza Strip hit a house in Ashkelon, southern Israel. [Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo]

A barrage of rockets was fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip as fighters from the blockaded Palestinian enclave infiltrated Israel, with at least one person killed, the army and medics said.

Air raid sirens wailed across southern and central Israel, with the army urging people to stay close to bomb shelters.

The armed wing of the Palestinian group Hamas announced it was behind the aerial assault, claiming its fighters had launched more than 5,000 rockets.

Israel’s military said Hamas launched “massive shooting of rockets”, while at the same time “terrorists infiltrated into Israeli territory in a number of different locations”.

Hamas called on “the resistance fighters in the West Bank” as well as “our Arab and Islamic nations” to join the battle, in a statement posted on Telegram.

Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007 after Hamas took power.

Palestinian fighters and Israel have fought several devastating wars since.

The latest violence follows a period of heightened tensions in September, when Israel closed the border to Gaza workers for two weeks.

So far this year at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners have been killed in the conflict, including fighters and civilians on both sides, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.

The vast majority of fatalities have occurred in the West Bank, which has been illegally occupied by Israel since the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict.

Smoke rises following Israeli strikes in Gaza — Smoke rises following Israeli attacks in Gaza. The Palestinian Ministry of Health says at least one person has been killed in an Israeli air raid that hit the Indonesian Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

Residents in the Gaza Strip flee their homes to move away from the border with Israel. The Israeli army says it has launched 'Operation Iron Swords' against the Hamas group in the Gaza Strip, in response to attacks from the territory. [Mohammed Abed/AFP]

Palestinian people, living near the border, leave their homes and moved towards safer areas due to clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinian — Palestinians living near the border between Gaza Strip and Israel, leave their homes and moved towards safer areas. [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu]

Israeli firefighters extinguish fire — Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire after a rocket hit a parking lot in Ashkelon. Daniel Hagari, the Israeli army spokesman, says more than 2,200 rockets have been fired into Israel since 6:30am. [Tsafrir Abayov/AP Photo]

A rocket is fired by Palestinian militants into Israel, in Gaza City — A rocket fired by Palestinian fighters into Israel. [Mohammed Salem/Reuters]

Israeli soldiers head south near Ashkelon. [Ohad Zwigenberg/AP Photo]

Cars are seen on fire following a rocket attack from the Gaza Strip in Ashkelon. [Ahmad Gharabli/AFP]

A firefighter walks towards a building in Rishon LeZion. The US embassy in Israel says that it is 'closely monitoring' the security situation in Israel after rocket attacks and the infiltration of Hamas fighters from Gaza. [Hadas Parush/Reuters]