**TEL AVIV, Israel** — An overnight rocket fired from Yemen struck an area near Tel Aviv early Saturday, resulting in injuries to 16 individuals due to shattered glass from nearby windows, according to the Israeli military.
In addition, 14 others sustained minor injuries as they hurried to shelters when air raid sirens activated before the missile impact occurred just before 4 a.m. on Saturday.
The Houthi rebels subsequently claimed via their Telegram channel that they had targeted a military installation, although they did not specify which site, using a hypersonic ballistic missile.
This incident follows closely on the heels of Israeli airstrikes against the Houthi-held areas of Sanaa, Yemen’s capital, and the port city of Hodeida. Those airstrikes, which took place just two days prior, resulted in the deaths of at least nine individuals. These strikes were retaliatory measures after a long-range missile launched by the Houthis hit an Israeli school.
Additionally, the Houthis reported a drone attack aimed at an unspecified military target in central Israel just days earlier.
The Israeli military has indicated that the Iran-aligned Houthis have launched over 200 missiles and drones since the onset of the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. They have also targeted maritime vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, with Houthi leaders insisting their assaults will persist until a ceasefire is achieved in Gaza.
According to United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, the Israeli aerial bombardments on Thursday inflicted “considerable damage” to Houthi-controlled ports along the Red Sea, which will lead to a substantial decrease in port functionality. The port in Hodeida serves as a crucial entry point for food supplies into Yemen amidst a prolonged civil conflict.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has voiced concerns that the ongoing military actions by both parties could escalate tensions further in the region and hinder U.N.-led mediation attempts.
**Casualties in Gaza**
In the Gaza Strip, mourning continued Saturday as residents held funerals for 19 individuals, including 12 children, who lost their lives during Israeli airstrikes on Friday and into the night.
One Israeli strike on Friday afternoon targeted a residential building in the densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp, claiming the lives of at least seven Palestinians, including five children and a woman, while injuring at least 16 others, according to health officials.
In Gaza City, another Israeli strike on a home killed 12 people overnight, which included seven children and two women, as confirmed by Ahli hospital, where the deceased were taken.
Mourners gathered early Saturday at the hospital in Gaza City, expressing their grief as they consoled one another. One man carried a small, shrouded body delicately in his arms during the funeral procession. Meanwhile, at the Aqsa hospital in Deir al Balah, white body bags containing victims from the Nuseirat strike were transferred from the morgue to an open truck for burial.
Internationally, Israel is facing significant backlash over the staggering number of civilian casualties reported in Gaza, prompting scrutiny about whether it has adequately sought to minimize these fatalities.
Israel maintains that its military actions are designed to target combatants and attributes civilian casualties to Hamas, which allegedly operates within civilian neighborhoods.
As of now, figures indicate that over 45,200 lives have been lost in the Gaza Strip since October 2023. This conflict was ignited by a Hamas attack in Israel that claimed approximately 1,200 lives, leading to a catastrophic 14-month war in Gaza. Local health officials have not clearly distinguished between civilians and combatants, but it has been reported that more than half of the fatalities are women and children.
