CAIRO, October 27, /TASS/. The Gaza Strip has been attacked by Israeli air forces "from the ground, sea, and the air," the Palestinian radical movement Hamas said on Friday.

"Cutting off phone communication and the internet in the Gaza Strip, as well as shelling attacks from the ground, sea, and the air indicate Israel’s plans to commit mass killings and crimes [against Palestinians]," it wrote on its Telegram channel.

The movement placed "entire responsibility for the hideous massacre [of the Palestinians]" on Israel and its allies. It called on Arab and Muslim countries and the entire world community to take urgent measures to stop crimes against the Palestinian people. It stressed that Israel will never be able to "intimidate" the Palestinian people and crush its resistance.

Tensions flared up in the Middle East after Hamas militants from the Gaza Strip attacked Israeli territory. Hamas views its attack as a response to Israeli authorities’ steps against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.

Spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces Daniel Hagari said earlier that Israel’s aground forces are expanding operations in Gaza.