Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stressed the government's commitment to destroying Hamas, emphasizing that the rocket attacks on southern Gaza cities remind everyone of the need to continue achieving this goal.

"If anyone needed a reminder why we shouldn't pause for a moment before destroying Hamas, they got it tonight in the form of the rocket fire from Gaza into southern cities," Smotrich said, according to Sky News Arabia.

The extremist Israeli minister added: "We pledged to the citizens of Israel that Hamas will be destroyed and that the residents of the south will be able to live in peace and security for many years, and with God's help, we will achieve this."

This evening, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, announced a barrage of rocket fire on the Israeli city of Ashdod, in what it said was a response to the massacres committed by the Israeli occupation army against Palestinian civilians.

The Israeli occupation army confirmed that it detected approximately 10 rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, most of which were intercepted.