CAIRO, December 4. /TASS/. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, said it opened fire at an Israeli tank in the northern part of the Gaza Strip, killing and injuring several IDF servicemen.

"The al-Qassam Brigades attacked a Zionist tank, surrounded by several servicemen near Al-Faluja, killing and injuring several soldiers," the group said on its Telegram channel. It also reported "shelling of enemy forces south of the city of Gaza with heavy mortars."

The Palestinian group also reported rocket strikes at cities of Sderot and Netivot in southern Israel.

The situation in the Middle East has escalated abruptly after an armed infiltration of HAMAS militants from the Gaza Strip into Israel. The HAMAS movement considers this attack a response to the actions of Israeli authorities towards the Al Aqsa Mosque at the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Israel announced a complete blockade of the Gaza Strip and started carrying out strikes on the enclave and certain areas in Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also taking place in the West Bank.