Israel Attacks One Hundred Positions in Gaza in Response to Rocket Attack on Tel Aviv

Hours after an unprecedented rocket attack on Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas that occurred on Thursday evening, March 14, the Israeli army announced it had attacked about one hundred Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip. According to the Associated Press, the attacks by Israeli fighter jets continued until early Friday morning, and the state of alert remains in effect. The Israeli army stated that one of the Hamas buildings in Gaza City, which was dedicated to the design and command of militant operations, a subterranean complex that was a major production base for Hamas rockets, and a Hamas drone center were among the targets of these attacks. No reports of casualties from these attacks have been released yet, but international news agencies reported that smoke from explosions in southern Gaza was visible from a distance of 25 kilometers and the sound of aircraft was heard in that city. The Israeli attacks on Gaza also interrupted an Egyptian delegation's visit to the region, which was there to mediate the extension of the fragile ceasefire currently in place between Hamas and Israel. The Israeli attacks on Gaza were in retaliation for the rocket attack on Thursday evening against Tel Aviv and its surrounding cities. The rocket attack on the Tel Aviv area and its surroundings has been unprecedented since the Israel-Hamas war in 2014. Hamas did not accept responsibility for this rocket attack and stated that it was 'contrary to Palestinian interests.' Some Israeli analysts attributed this attack to small groups in Gaza who fear any agreement between the two sides. However, Israel stated that preliminary investigations indicate that Hamas was involved in the rocket attack on Thursday evening. Following the nighttime attacks by Israeli aircraft on Gaza, more rockets were fired into Israeli territory, but according to officials in that country, the Iron Dome system intercepted some of these rockets. On the other hand, organizations that have held weekly protests at the Gaza-Israel border for the past year announced that this Friday's protests would not take place due to the Israeli attacks. Recent events occur while Israel and Hamas are facing special internal conditions: Israel has parliamentary elections in less than a month, and Hamas is facing unprecedented Palestinian protests over living conditions. According to the Associated Press, Benjamin Netanyahu faces a serious challenge in regaining the prime ministership, and his response to Palestinian militants could provoke sharp criticism from his rivals. Hamas, which has controlled the Gaza Strip since 2007, has recently faced increased internal protests, and Hamas police suppressed a demonstration on Thursday that was held in protest of living conditions. Several countries, including the United States and Canada, have designated Hamas as a 'terrorist group,' but European countries have only listed Hamas's military wing as a terrorist organization.