For the first time in months, Hamas launched two rockets towards Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial centre, while Israeli airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 19 Palestinians in Gaza. This occurred as mediators planned to reconvene later in the week to discuss a ceasefire.
No casualties were reported in Israel. According to the Israeli military, two rockets were launched from Gaza; one fell into the sea and the other did not reach Israeli territory.
In a statement, Hamas’ military wing declared, “In retaliation for the Zionist aggression against civilians and the intentional displacement of our people, we have targeted the city of Tel Aviv and its suburbs with two ‘M90’ missiles.”
Medics reported that Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday caused 19 Palestinian fatalities in the central and southern regions of the Gaza Strip. The last time Hamas acknowledged firing rockets at Tel Aviv was in May.
The Israeli military stated that it had neutralized Palestinian combatants, destroyed military infrastructure in Khan Younis, uncovered weapons and explosives in Rafah, and targeted rocket launchers and sniper positions in central Gaza.
The U.S. expressed expectations on Monday that the Gaza ceasefire discussions scheduled for Thursday would proceed as intended, with a potential agreement in sight. Axios revealed that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to depart on Tuesday for talks in Qatar, Egypt, and Israel.
The Israeli government announced its intention to dispatch a delegation to the talks on Thursday to finalize the agreement’s details.
However, Hamas is insisting on a practical plan to execute the proposal put forth by U.S. President Joe Biden in May, rather than engaging in further discussions.
