AIR RAID sirens blared out over Tel Aviv today as Hamas claimed responsibility for its first long-range rocket attack for five months.

No casualties were reported as Israel said it had shot down “a number” of projectiles, but the launch was viewed as a signal from Hamas that it retains the capacity to fight seven months into Israel’s brutal invasion of Gaza, whose official rationale is to permanently destroy the militant group.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 81 more Palestinians were killed by Israeli bombing in the prior 24 hours, as Israel continued to pound the territory in defiance of an International Court of Justice order to halt its attack on Rafah, issued on Friday.

Within Israel itself police clashed with huge crowds in Tel Aviv demanding a ceasefire on Saturday. Protests in the city as well as in Jerusalem have grown more frequent as citizens fear Israel’s growing isolation from a war which has seen it charged with genocide at the UN’s highest court, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appears indifferent to the rescue or survival of hostages still held by Hamas.

Hamas took about 250 hostages in its October 7 cross-border raid that killed 1,139 Israelis, prompting Israel’s full-scale invasion of Gaza a few weeks later. 

Of these 105 were handed over in prisoner exchanges during a November truce, four released unilaterally by Hamas and three rescued. An unknown number have been killed by Israeli military action, with at least 16 killed in bombings and three shot dead by Israeli troops, but Hamas is believed to have over 100 in custody still.

Crowds carried banners reading Stop the War and Help! Hilit Sagi of group Women Protest for the Return of All Hostages said Mr Netanyahu’s government had “abandoned” the hostages and needed to negotiate a deal.

Some humanitarian aid was allowed into Gaza from southern Israel today, though it was unclear who it would reach. Egypt says it will not open the Rafah crossing again unless control of the Gaza side is returned to Palestinians.

And Norway handed diplomatic papers to Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa, honouring its recent commitment made with Ireland and Spain to recognise a Palestinian state.

The death toll in Gaza from Israel’s war has climbed to over 35,800.