The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has launched a barrage of rockets at Israeli targets following Israel’s failure to observe a deadline set by the movement to pull out its troops from occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds and the holy al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
On Monday evening, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said in a statement that it had hit the occupied part of Jerusalem al-Quds with several rockets in retaliation for Israel’s “crimes and aggression in the Holy City, and its harassment of our people in Sheikh Jarrah and Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
It added that this was a “message that the enemy should understand well.”
Hamas had earlier on Monday issued a one-hour ultimatum for the Israeli regime to withdraw its forces from al-Quds and to end its crackdown on Palestinians in the flashpoint holy city by 6:00 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), or Tel Aviv would face escalation.
The rocket attack was carried out minutes after the deadline passed.
The Israeli military said in a statement that at least seven rockets had been fired from the besieged Gaza Strip against the occupied part of Jerusalem al-Quds, adding that one of the projectiles was intercepted and the rest did not cause any casualties or damage.
Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, was also evacuated mid-session shortly after warning sirens rang across the city following the rocket attack.
More than 300 Palestinians were recently injured in brutal assaults by Israeli police outside the al-Aqsa Mosque.
Dozens of rockets were also reportedly fired from Gaza toward Israeli settlements of Sderot, Ashkelon, and the neighboring settlements.
Hundreds of Palestinians have been injured since Friday, when Israeli forces attacked Palestinians in al-Aqsa Mosque compound. The assaults have continued to date.
The Palestinian Red Crescent said hundreds more were wounded in fresh clashes on Monday that came ahead of a scheduled protest rally marking Israel’s 1967 takeover of the holy city.
The provocations took a still dangerous turn after the forces attacked Palestinian homes in Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood following a protest rally by Palestinians against a court ruling which allows Jewish settlers to take over Palestinian homes there.
Israeli airstrikes kill 20 Palestinians in Gaza
Separately on Monday evening, the Palestinian Health Ministry said in a statement that at least 20 Palestinians, including nine children, had been killed in Israeli airstrikes on the northern parts of the Gaza Strip.
Meanwhile, Hamas movement announced that a total of 100 missiles have been so far fired toward the occupied territories.
The violent crackdown by Israeli forces on Palestinians in Jerusalem al-Quds and the ensuing clashes have already sparked global concern.