Israel says at 'war' after Hamas launches 'Operation Al-Aqsa Flood'

The Palestinian group Hamas launched the biggest attack on Israel in years on Saturday in a surprise assault that combined gunmen crossing into several Israeli towns with a heavy barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip.

Mohammad Deif, a senior Hamas military commander, announced the start of the opeation in a broadcast on Hamas media, calling on Palestinians everywhere to fight, Reuters reported.

“This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been launched.

Ghazi Hamad, Hamas spokesperson and former deputy foreign minister for the government in Gaza, has told Al Jazeera that the Palestinian operation is also a message to Arab countries who have been normalising relations with Israel.

As warning sirens wailed across southern and central Israel, including in Jerusalem, Israel’s military said it was on a war footing and the defence minister said that Hamas had made a “grave mistake” by declaring war on Israel.

The Israeli military said it had launched air strikes into Gaza, where witnesses reported hearing heavy explosions.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said he would meet top security officials in the coming hours and Gallant authorised the call-up of reservists.

In May, an exchange of Israeli air strikes and Gaza rocket fire killed 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.

So far this year at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners have been killed in the conflict, including combatants and civilians on both sides, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.