Israeli army intercepts 2 rockets fired from northern Gaza

By Said Amouri and Ahmed Asmar

JERUSALEM / ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli army on Friday evening said it intercepted two rockets that were fired from northern Gaza towards the Ashkelon area in southern Israel.

There were no reports of injuries or damage, according to the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom.

Earlier, the Israeli army said the rocket in-coming sirens were activated in the Ashkelon area after the rocket firing detection.

The rocket firing marks the second launch from Gaza after Israel resumed its genocidal war on Gaza early in the week.

Immediately following the rocket-firing incident, the Israeli army issued evacuation orders for Palestinians in areas of northern Gaza, in a move widely seen as a form of collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.

The army's spokesman Avichay Adraee issued a statement on his X account ordering people in the northern Gaza areas of Al-Salateen, Al-Karama, and Al-Awda to immediately leave.

He warned the people as "a final warning" before the army carries out strikes in their areas.

More than 700 Palestinians have been killed and over 900 injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since Tuesday, shattering a ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement that had held since January.

Nearly 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and over 112,000 injured in Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.