Kerala native among those killed in Israel rocket strike triggered by Hamas militants

In the latest development, a worker from Kerala was killed due to the rockets fired by Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip towards Jerusalem on Monday. Soumya Santosh, a native of Idukki who was working as a caretaker in Israel, was reportedly killed in the rocket attack in Ashkelon. The early-evening attack drastically escalated what already are heightened tensions throughout the region following weeks of clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem.

The rocket fire drew heavy Israeli retaliation in the Gaza Strip. As per AP, health officials reportedly had said at least 20 people, including nine children, were killed in fighting, making it one of the bloodiest days of battle between the bitter enemies in several years. The ongoing confrontations, focused around a disputed hilltop compound - Al-Aqsa mosque -  in Jerusalem's Old City, have threatened to spark a wider conflict.

Israel PM Netanyahu says Hamas crossed 'red line'

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on May 10, issued a stern warning against Hamas saying that it had crossed a red line by directing missiles into the Israeli territory. Addressing press reporters, the Likud leader asserted that Israel had engaged in multiple fights including that in Jerusalem and the West Bank. Despite that, he had said that the Zionists would not tolerate any kind of attacks on their country and anybody who tries to attack them would pay a heavy price.

‘We're engaged in a fight on many fronts. Jerusalem, Gaza and other places in Israel. The terrorist organisations in Gaza crossed a red line on the night of Jerusalem Day, by firing rockets towards Jerusalem," Netanyahu had told reproters. "We will respond with force. We will not tolerate attacks on our territory, our capital, our citizens and our soldiers. Those who attack us will pay a heavy price," he had added.

Hamas militants fire rockets; Israel retaliates

The Israeli military said well over 50 rockets were fired into Israel throughout the evening, most of them aimed at southern Israeli towns near the border. Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said six rockets were aimed at Jerusalem in what was believed to be the first rocket attack on the city since a 2014 war. Shortly after the sirens sounded, explosions could be heard in Jerusalem. One rocket fell on the western outskirts of the city, lightly damaging a home and causing a brush fire. The Israeli army said one rocket was intercepted and the others fell in open areas. Israel was responding with airstrikes on Hamas targets throughout Gaza. The army said rocket launchers and eight militants had been targeted.

Since sundown Monday, 28 Palestinians — including 10 children and a woman— were killed in Gaza, most by airstrikes, health officials there said. The Israeli military said at least 16 of the dead were militants. It was not immediately clear if the blast was caused by an airstrike or errant rocket.  Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas' military wing, said the attack on Jerusalem was a response to what he called Israeli “crimes and aggression” in the city. “This is a message the enemy has to understand well,” he said. He threatened more attacks if Israeli forces re-enter the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque compound or carry out planned evictions of Palestinian families from an east Jerusalem neighborhood.

(With AP inputs)