In retaliation for a series of deadly attacks by the Israeli regime against the population of the Gaza Strip, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that they had targeted the occupied city of Ashkelon with a barrage of rockets. According to the Arab news channel Al-Mayadeen, sirens sounded in Ashkelon on Friday, 21 March, marking the second day of rocket fire from Gaza into occupied territories.  

Reliable sources confirmed that two rockets were launched from northern Gaza towards Ashkelon. On the Israeli side, alerts were also triggered, announcing new airstrikes, spreading fear and panic among Israeli settlers. Videos circulating on social media showed vehicles abandoned in the streets, reflecting the chaos and anxiety among the settler population.  

This latest operation comes days after the Israeli occupation army resumed its attacks on Gaza earlier this week. On the first day of their anti-Israeli operations, the Al-Qassam Brigades fired a volley of M90 rockets from southern Gaza towards Tel Aviv in response to the "massacre of Palestinian civilians by the Zionists." The Israeli army claimed to have detected three rockets fired from Gaza towards central occupied Palestine, setting off sirens in Tel Aviv, the Gush Dan region, and surrounding settlements.  

On Friday, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated in a communiqué: "I have ordered the army to seize more territories in Gaza," while displacing residents. This announcement followed consecutive violations of the ceasefire by the Israeli occupation regime and the massacre of over 710 Palestinians in just two days.  

On Tuesday, 18 March, Israel resumed its genocidal war against the Palestinian people, violating the fragile ceasefire and killing civilians, primarily women and children, in the besieged Gaza Strip. The Al-Qassam Brigades' rocket attacks on Ashkelon and Tel Aviv are a direct response to these atrocities, underscoring the escalating violence and the dire humanitarian crisis in Gaza.  

As the international community remains largely silent, the cycle of violence continues, with Palestinian resistance groups vowing to defend their people against Israeli aggression. The situation highlights the urgent need for global intervention to address the root causes of the conflict and protect civilian lives on both sides.