The Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced that it launched a rocket barrage targeting the Israeli-occupied port of Ashdod.
Impacts were reported in both Ashdod and Ashkelon on Sunday evening.
According to the Qassam Brigades, the attack was carried out in retaliation for "Zionist massacres against civilians."
Several Israeli settlers were injured from the rocket fire and taken to hospital, Israeli media reported.
Israeli media outlets reported multiple injuries from the strikes.
According to the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom, initial reports indicated a direct hit in Ashkelon, prompting the dispatch of emergency medical crews.
Israel’s Channel 13 later reported that three individuals were injured, while Channel 12 updated the figure to seven, all of whom were transferred to Barzilai Hospital.
The channel also noted extensive damage to buildings and vehicles.
In total, Israeli media reported that seven rockets were launched towards Ashdod.
The Israeli army stated that it had detected approximately ten rockets fired from Gaza, with most being intercepted.
It was later confirmed that five rockets launched from central Gaza were intercepted, while others landed in various locations.
The Israeli Home Front Command said air raid sirens were activated in Ashdod, Ashkelon, and the southern suburbs of Tel Aviv.
According to Channel 12, the rockets were fired from Deir al-Balah in central Gaza.
Netanyahu orders 'strong response' to rocket fire
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a "strong response" after the rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip on Sunday, according to his office.
"The prime minister instructed to deliver a strong response and approved the continuation of the intensified IDF operations in Gaza against Hamas," his office said in a statement.
Minutes after the statement, the Israeli military issued an order for residents of several areas in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah to evacuate ahead of planned strikes, indicating that the rocket fire originated from there.
"To all residents of the Gaza Strip located in the Deir el-Balah area... this is a final and urgent warning before the attack," said Avichay Adraee, the military's Arabic-language spokesman, on X.
"We will launch a severe strike on any area from which rockets are fired... For your safety, you must immediately move south to the known shelters in the Mawasi area."
