Air raid sirens sounded in southern Israel's Ashkelon Friday, following the launch of two projectiles from northern Gaza, the IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed.
According to the military, the rockets were intercepted by the Israeli Air Force (IAF). “Following the sirens that sounded at 04:30 p.m. in Ashkelon, two projectiles that were fired from northern Gaza were intercepted by the IAF,” the IDF said in a statement.
Rocket launches from Gaza
No injuries or damage were reported. Magen David Adom (MDA) confirmed there were no casualty reports in the area at the time of writing. The alerts marked the latest in a series of exchanges between Israel and Hamas following the collapse of the ceasefire agreement.
Meanwhile, Defense Minister Israel Katz announced that he has instructed the IDF to seize additional territory in Gaza and expand security buffer zones surrounding the enclave, warning that continued refusal by Hamas to release hostages will result in the loss of more land “to be annexed by Israel.”
Katz said the IDF has been instructed to evacuate civilians from targeted areas and establish long-term Israeli control. “The more Hamas persists in its refusal to release the hostages, the more territory it will lose,” he declared. “I have directed the IDF to expand the maneuver, take control of more ground and hold it permanently to protect Israeli communities and soldiers.”
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