Two Israelis dead after rocket fire, while 26 Palestinians are killed in Israeli airstrikes

Two Israelis have been killed in the southern town of Ashkelon after rockets were fired from Gaza on Tuesday morning hitting two buildings. 

A further 23 people were reported as suffering injuries. 

Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Gaza ministry of health, Dr. Ashraf Al-Qidra, said that 26 people were killed by Israeli attacks, adding that nine children and one women were among the dead. 

The spokesman added that 122 further injuries had been recorded, a number of them serious. 

Violence has continued to surge after Hamas responded with rocket fire to Israeli attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip.

Palestinians have been angered by the brutal suppression by Israeli forces of protests forced displacement of families in East Jerusalem and violence against worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque. 

A spokesperson for the Israeli military told residents of Ashkelon to remain inside their homes until further notice.

Israeli media reported that four of the 23 people injured were from the same family, and that they suffered moderate-to-serious or light injuries. 

According to the Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, one person was brought the hospital in serious condition. 

The rocket fire came after Israel launched over 130 strikes on the besieged enclave. 

"We fired rockets at Ashkelon following an Israeli strike that hit a house west of Gaza City. If Israel continues to attack, we will turn Ashkelon into hell," said Abu Ubaidah, a spokesperson for Hamas' military wing. 

Read more: Jerusalem Protests: Live coverage of the Israeli crackdown on Gaza, Al-Aqsa, Sheikh Jarrah

Al-Qidra warned that the brutal Israeli attacks were putting the health system in Gaza under intense pressure, and compounding the repercussions already felt by the 15-year blockade and the ongoing efforts to confront the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Al-Qidra went on to denounce the closure of the Beit Hanoun crossing, saying this will have serious repercussions for Palestinians who have medical appointments in the West Bank, Jerusalem and other occupied areas. 

The spokesperson also pointed out that the targeting of electricity sources by the Israelis was a further threat to their ability to provide medical treatment to the sick and injured. 

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