Israeli army says it detected 10 rockets fired from Gaza, triggering activation of sirens

​​​​​​​By Said Amouri

JERUSALEM (AA) - The Israeli army said Friday it detected the firing of 10 rockets from Gaza toward southern Israeli settlements adjacent to the Gaza Strip.

It said in a statement that the rockets were fired from southern Gaza, setting off sirens in the settlements near Gaza.

Nine rockets landed in open areas and one was intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, it claimed.

No injuries or damage were reported.

Palestinian resistance groups have yet to comment on the announcement.

Israel raised its alert state on Thursday following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, chief of Hamas political bureau, in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday.

Israel, flouting a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire, has faced international condemnation amid its continued brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas.

Nearly 39,500 Palestinians have since been killed, mostly women and children, and over 91,000 injured, according to local health authorities.

Almost 10 months into the Israeli war, vast tracts of Gaza lie in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine.

Israel is accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which ordered it to immediately halt its military operation in the southern city of Rafah, where more than 1 million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar