Sirens blare, people rush for cover as rocket barrage hits Israel's coastal city

By Ashoke Raj
Ashkelon [Israel], October 11 : The calm of Tuesday evening was shattered all of a sudden by deafening blares of sirens in Ashkelon, 50 kilometres south of Tel Aviv and 13 kilometres north of the border with the Gaza Strip, and people swiftly sought refuge in bomb shelters as a barrage of rockets hit the Israeli coastal city.
As Ashkelon comes under rocket fire, the media contingent, including the ANI team, reporting on the violence, also rushed for cover.
The war in Israel has entered the fourth day since Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7.
Israel has intensified the counter-offensive against Hamas, with several air strikes raging into the Gaza territory and a combat helicopter attacking another observation post of the Hezbollah terror group, the Israel Air Force said.
However, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the Indian diaspora there has expressed confidence in the country's military and said they want to live peacefully.
A woman of Indian origin in Ashkelon, Ilana Nagaukar, told ANI, "Yesterday, a missile struck here, vehicles caught fire and there was a power cut in all these buildings. We feel that we are in danger but we believe in our Army. This is our home and we can't go anywhere. We want to live here peacefully."
Another woman of Indian origin, Rikki thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for supporting Israel's residents.
According to the Israeli Air Force, the fighter jets attacked a number of targets of the terrorist organisation Hamas throughout the Gaza Strip. Among other things, the planes attacked a military compound and a weapons warehouse. Also, a combat management room in Western Jabaliya was attacked which was used by the terrorist organisation Hamas to direct terrorism against the State of Israel.
The conflict continued to intensify on Tuesday, as Hamas also launched a barrage of rockets on Israel's Ashkelon, hours after issuing a warning.
Hamas had earlier issued a warning that it would attack Ashkelon at 5 o'clock in retaliation for Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, Times of Israel reported. As the barrage of rockets pounded the coastal city, sirens sounded in the city and other nearby towns.
According to the latest updates, at least 900 Israelis have been killed and over 2,600 people are wounded.
On the other hand, over 770 Palestinians have also been killed in air raids after Israel launched a strong counter-offensive. The Health Ministry in Gaza said that at least 770 Palestinians have been killed and 4,000 wounded in Israeli air raids. Among the dead are 140 children and 120 women, a ministry spokesperson said.
A day ago, in a stern warning to Hamas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "though Israel did not start this war" but "will finish it".
"Israel is at war. We didn't want this war. It was forced upon us in the most brutal and savage way. But though Israel didn't start this war, Israel will finish it," said Netanyahu in an address to the nation.