Tensions remained high in the Gaza Strip and Israel on Tuesday, two days into an escalation of violence following a deadly Israeli army incursion into the besieged Palestinian enclave.
At least 14 Palestinians and one Israeli have been killed since Sunday evening, when an Israeli special forces unit was intercepted by Hamas fighters three kilometres inside the Gaza Strip sparking a deadly altercation.
Seven Palestinians – including a commander from Hamas's military wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, and one Israeli officer were killed on Sunday evening.
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On Monday, Hamas claimed responsibility for hundreds of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip towards southern Israel.
One Palestinian man from the West Bank was reportedly killed by a rocket in Ashkelon, while dozens of Israelis were wounded, including at least one critically.
Abu Ubaidah, Hamas's spokesperson, said on Twitter "Ascalon [Ashkelon] has entered the range of fire as a response to the bombing of civilian buildings in Gaza".
"Occupied al-Majdal [Ashkelon] is now in our cross hairs in response to the shelling that targeted civilian buildings in Gaza … Isdud [Ashdod] and Beer el-Sabe [Beersheba] are the next targets if the enemy continues to bombard civilian buildings," Abu Ubaidah said.
The Israeli military, meanwhile, launched scores of air strikes on Gaza overnight, killing at least six Palestinians and hitting a number of buildings – including the office of Hamas Al-Aqsa TV.
Israels security cabinet met for several hours on Tuesday morning to discuss the situation, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported.
While Israeli media had previously quoted an Israeli official as saying that Israel was not working with Egypt or the United Nations to defuse tensions, a foreign diplomatic source later denied to Haaretz that Israel had halted such contacts regarding a ceasefire.
The escalation of violence has led many Palestinians to fear that the situation could devolve into all-out war.
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Dina Asaad, 27, who lives in the northern Gaza city, told Middle East Eye that she has not heard "such massive explosions for the past four years".
"We could not sleep all night as explosions rocked almost every neighbourhood in the Strip," she said. "This looks pretty much like the beginning of the last three attacks [the wars of 2009, 2012 and 2014], one of them even started with assassinating a Hamas leader and continued for several days."
The Israeli incursion and subsequent exchange of fire also took place despite Egyptian efforts to broker an agreement between Hamas and Israel amid ongoing mass protests in Gaza, which have put pressure on Israel to end its blockade of the Strip.
Recently, Israel agreed to allow Qatar to donate millions of dollars in aid to help pay the salaries of civil servants in Gaza and cover the costs of fuel to ease an electricity crisis.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier defended his decision to allow Qatar to transfer the cash to Gaza despite criticism from within his government, saying he wanted to avoid a war if it wasn't necessary.
Israel has killed more than 200 Palestinians and wounded some 20,000 since the beginning of the Great March of Return protests more than seven months ago.
Participants of the weekly marches have called for an end to the crippling 11-year siege of Gaza and for Palestinian refugees to be allowed to return to their ancestral homes.
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