Tel Aviv, Israel - The armed wing of Hamas said Sunday it had launched a "large rocket barrage" at Israel's commercial hub of Tel Aviv amid the ongoing siege of Gaza.

The Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades said in a post on Telegram that they had targeted Tel Aviv "with a large rocket barrage in response to the Zionist massacres against civilians."

Israel's army said at least eight rockets were fired towards central areas of the country from Gaza's far-southern city of Rafah, where the International Court of Justice has ordered Israel to cease its deadly military operations.

The military said that "a number of the projectiles were intercepted " by Israeli air defenses.

Joke of the Day Joke of the Night for December 25, 2024: The best Christmas Day joke to laugh the day away

An AFP correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported seeing rockets being fired from Rafah.

Rocket sirens blared in Tel Aviv for the first time in months, with an AFP correspondent reported hearing at least three blasts.

Israel has killed at least 35,984 people in Gaza, according to the occupied territory's health ministry. Millions more Palestinians are suffering forced displacement and the threat of starvation.