On Tuesday evening, the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, began bombing the city of Ashkelon in response to the bombardment of Gaza, the displacement of Palestinians, and the forced evacuation from their homes in several areas of the Gaza Strip. They confirmed that they "will continue to bombard Ashkelon and will move to displace another city if the Israeli forces do not stop displacing civilians."
The bombardment of Ashkelon was carried out in accordance with a promise made by Hamas after giving residents of Ashkelon a deadline until 5 PM Palestinian time to leave the city. Meanwhile, the Israeli police announced on Tuesday evening the deaths of two officers, a major and a general, during clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters in the Gaza envelope. They explained that "Major Afshalom Yair Peretz from the Yamam special unit, and General Mor Shkory, the commander of patrols in the southern region, were killed during the clashes in the Gaza envelope."
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated that "control over the border area with Gaza has been regained and we are moving toward a comprehensive attack," noting that "Hamas wanted change in Gaza, and that is what we will do; Gaza will not return to what it was, and they will regret this moment."
Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X: "At five o'clock, Hamas is under relentless heavy bombing in Gaza."
In the same context, French television channel BFMTV reported that, according to Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, "the deaths of French citizens due to the attacks in Israel have risen to eight."
Israeli tourism authorities also indicated in a memo sent to local travel agencies that "trips to Israel should be avoided," as Israel signaled it might plan a ground attack on Gaza in response to Hamas's attacks earlier in the week. They added that "those on cruise trips should remain on their ships, while other tourists should stay in their hotels." The memo stated: "In general, please stay near protected areas and act according to the instructions of internal leadership."
Stranded tourists in the country sought to book flights out of Israel, while the governments of Switzerland and Iceland organized special flights to evacuate their citizens.
As a result of the attack on Ashkelon, Swedish International Development Minister Johan Forssell announced in a press conference on Tuesday that "Sweden will temporarily suspend development aid to the Palestinian territories."
