Explosions heard in Tel Aviv linked to intense Gaza bombardment 64km away

Israeli air strikes on Gaza on Thursday night could be heard more than 64km away in southern and central Israel.

In a statement, the Israeli army linked the explosions to military activity in northern Gaza but did not specify the nature or exact target of the strikes.

The army assured Israelis that there were no security incidents affecting them.

Israel’s extensive campaign on the Gaza Strip since October 2023 – denounced as genocidal by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and UN experts – has killed over 45,400 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children.

The Geneva-based Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimated that Israel dropped approximately 63,500 tonnes of bombs on Gaza between 7 October and 24 April 2024, surpassing the total bombs dropped on Dresden, Hamburg and London combined during World War Two.

Israeli attacks on northern Gaza on Thursday killed five Palestinian journalists in a clearly marked press van outside al-Awda Hospital. Another air strike targeting the besieged Kamal Adwan Hospital killed 50 people, including five hospital staff members.

Israelis have previously reported hearing explosions in Tel Aviv and other central areas as a result of the air strikes on Gaza.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Israel launched air strikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, including its international airport, during a visit by UN officials.

The director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, was at Sanaa International Airport awaiting departure when an aerial bombardment took place. He confirmed that a member of his plane’s crew was wounded during the attack.

The injured man, who worked for the UN Humanitarian Air Service, had to undergo surgery but is now recovering satisfactorily, a WHO spokesperson said.

Tedros, who was in Yemen to negotiate the release of detained UN staff and to assess the humanitarian situation, will continue to work in the country until his flight can depart, the spokesperson added.

On Friday, the Houthis said they fired a missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, following reports from the Israeli military that a missile had been intercepted.

In a statement, the Houthis said they also launched drones at Tel Aviv and a ship in the Arabian Sea, adding that Israeli “aggression will only increase the determination and resolve of the great Yemeni people to continue supporting the Palestinian people”.