Hamas attacks Israel's Ashkelon city with rocket fire after warning residents to leave

Jerusalem, Oct 10 (IANS) Hamas is attacking the Israeli city of Ashkelon with rocket fire, the media reported. Earlier, the militant group warned civilians to leave within hours.

Ashkelon is around 15 km away from Gaza. Hamas' armed wing spokesperson, Abu Ubaida, told residents of Israel's port of Ashkelon to leave the area by 5 p.m. (local time) without giving any further details, The Guardian reported.

Hamas had threatened specifically to attack the Israeli city of Ashkelon in response to Israel's attacks on Gaza, the BBC reported.

In a post on Telegram, Hamas said the residents of the city, just to the north of the Gaza Strip, have within hours to leave.

More than 1,000 people were killed in an attack by Hamas on Israel over the weekend, according to the Israeli Embassy in the US, CNN reported.

The death toll now stands at 1,008, with at least 3,418 injured, the embassy said on 'X'.

The Israel Defense Forces has said it "cannot confirm or deny" these reports from the embassy.

An IDF spokesperson told CNN that it is aware of over 900 deaths.

More than 4,500 rockets have already been fired from Gaza into Israel since Saturday, the Israeli military says.

Two foreign workers have been killed and another seriously injured in a rocket attack in the Eskhol region that borders Gaza, Israel's emergency services have just said, the BBC reported.

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