Israel responds with artillery after 20 rockets fired from Gaza Strip

Around 20 rockets have been fired at Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip, with Israeli artillery responding, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported on Monday.

Some of the rockets had been intercepted, while others had come down in open countryside, it said. Air-raid sirens sounded in locations near the border ordering residents to seek shelter. The IDF said it had fired on the launch sites with artillery.

The attacks were the heaviest for some time, Israeli media reported.

Since entering the Gaza Strip following the October 7 attacks mounted by the Palestinian Islamist Hamas movement and other organizations, the IDF has destroyed buildings, launch ramps and tunnels.

Thousands of rockets were fired in the initial months at Israeli targets as far away as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The attacks have since declined in frequency.