Sirens warning of incoming rockets have blared across the Israeli-occupied territories after Palestinian resistance fighters launched a volley of rockets in retaliation for the dramatic rise in Israeli violence against Palestinians.
The Red Alerts warning sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, located some 70 kilometers (43.4 miles) north of the Gaza Strip, as well as Sde Boker, Arad, and Dimona in the south, also some 70 kilometers away.
Explosions were heard by residents across these areas.
The Magen David Adom emergency service said in a statement that its medics were treating a 70-year-old woman who was in critical condition and another man trapped following a direct rocket impact in the Gederot Regional Council.
It added that it was treating a 20-year-old man moderately wounded by rocket shrapnel in Yavne.
Medics were also responding to reports of rocket impacts in Ashkelon, and Kfar Aviv, near Ashdod.
One video circulating on social media showed large black plumes of smoke and fires from a suspected impact site in Ashkelon.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and minister for military affairs Yoav Gallant are set to hold meetings with top security officials soon, their offices said.
On Friday, Israeli military forces attacked hundreds of Palestinians attending the funeral procession of a young Palestinian man in the West Bank, injuring more than 50 people.
According to Palestinian media outlets, the crowd was mourning the 19-year-old Labib Dumaidi, who in the early hours of Friday succumbed to injuries sustained in a raid by Israeli settlers on the town of Huwara, south of Nablus.
Local sources said the Israeli forces attacked Palestinians with live bullets, rubber-coated metal bullets, stun grenades and tear gas to prevent them from continuing the procession.
The reports said 51 citizens were injured, including 19 citizens who were hit with rubber bullets, two of them in the head, and three who were hit with live bullets in the foot.
Israel has escalated its violence against Palestinians recently, particularly after a right-wing cabinet led by Benjamin Netanyahu came to power.
More than 200 Palestinians have been killed this year in the occupied Palestinian territories and Gaza. The majority of these fatalities have been recorded in the West Bank.
The United Nations said 2023 is the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since it began keeping track of fatalities almost two decades ago.
Previously, 2022 had been the deadliest year with 150 Palestinians killed, of whom 33 were minors, according to the UN.
