Air raid sirens in Israel after missile attack from Yemen

The Israeli military says air raid sirens have sounded in several areas of the country following a missile attack from Yemen.

In Jerusalem, several explosions were heard shortly after the sirens sounded early on Thursday. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The military said a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted before reaching Israeli airspace. Yemen’s Houthi rebels did not immediately claim the attack.

Yemen’s Houthi group this week resumed missile attacks following the collapse of Israel’s ceasefire with Hamas.

Police also reported sirens in central Israel in an attack at 4am local time.

The MADA rescue service says it has received no reports of injuries.

Israel said on Wednesday its troops had retaken part of a corridor which bisects Gaza, while the country’s defence minister warned that attacks would intensify until Hamas frees dozens of hostages and gives up control of the territory.

The military said it had retaken part of the Netzarim Corridor which divides northern Gaza from the south and from where it had previously withdrawn as part of a ceasefire that began in January.

That truce was shattered on Tuesday by Israeli airstrikes which killed more than 400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

The advances on the ground by Israel on Wednesday — which included sending more troops to southern Gaza — threatened to drag the sides into all-out war again. The ceasefire had given war-weary Palestinians some respite, allowed a much-needed surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza — and led to the release of dozens of hostages who had been held for more than 15 months.

Within Israel, the resumption of airstrikes and ground operations in Gaza has raised concerns about the fate of roughly two dozen hostages held by Hamas who are believed to still be alive. Thousands of Israelis took part in anti-government demonstrations in Jerusalem with many calling for a deal to bring the captives home.

Hamas spokesman Abdel-Latif al-Qanou said the moves by ground forces in Gaza was a clear sign that Israel had backed out of the truce and was reimposing a “blockade”. There have been no reports of rocket attacks by Hamas since Tuesday’s bombardment.

Also on Wednesday, the United Nations said one of its employees was killed in Gaza and five others were wounded in an apparent strike on a guesthouse. It was not immediately clear who was behind the strike, the UN said.

Israel said airstrikes on Wednesday hit dozens of militants and militant sites, including the command centre of a Hamas battalion, but denied Palestinian claims that it hit the UN guesthouse in the central city of Deir al-Balah.

Defence minister Israel Katz said the military would soon order Palestinians to evacuate from combat zones.

He said Tuesday’s aerial bombardment “was just the first step” in Israel’s plan to ratchet up the pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages and give up control of Gaza. Until it does, Israel will attack “with an intensity that you have not known”.