Israel faces barrage of rockets fired from Gaza and south Lebanon

Hamas said on Tuesday (Oct 10) that it fired hundreds of rockets on Israel's Ashkelon in "response to the displacement of civilians in Gaza," a statement on Telegram said.

This comes after a Hamas spokesperson issued a warning to the residents of the southern port city of Ashkelon to evacuate before 5pm (local time).

Hamas also shared a video which showed rockets flying through the sky. People were seen taking cover on the side of the road in Israel.

This comes amid escalating tensions over armed conflict between Israel and Palestinians in the last few days, which killed hundreds of people on both sides.

Israel retaliated with air strikes after fighters from the Palestinian militant group Hamas stormed Israeli towns on Saturday (Oct 7) in an assault launched from the Gaza enclave.

Rockets fired from south Lebanon

Meanwhile, a fresh wave of rockets was fired from south Lebanon towards Israel on Tuesday, Lebanese state media said, an attack that drew retaliatory fire, according to a military source.

"Rockets were fired from... southern Lebanon towards the Galilee" region in northern Israel, the official National News Agency said, while the military source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, confirmed that it triggered retaliatory Israeli fire.

Watch:Protests spark globally after Hamas attack, cities witness pro-Israel vigil

Hamas threatens to kill hostages

The Palestinian militant group has threatened to execute some of the around 150 hostages it abducted in a weekend assault as it warned on Monday that it could start killing them. Hamas said that Israeli strikes killed four of its hostages.

"Every targeting of our people without warning will be met with the execution of one of the civilian hostages," said the Hamas armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday denounced "unacceptable blackmail" by Hamas.

He told reporters on a visit to Germany: "The blackmail by Hamas after its terrorist acts is odious and unacceptable."

The French president added that he considered it "likely" that Hamas had received outside "help" in its attack against Israel.

But he stressed there was "no formal trace" of any "direct involvement" by Iran, at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

(With inputs from agencies)

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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