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Hamas declares start of major operation against Israel, at least 22 Israelis killed Palestinian militants Organization Hamas claimed, More than 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel early on Saturday, Hamas' armed wing said, declaring it had started "Operation Al-Aqsa Flood". At least 22 people have died and over a hundred have wounded in the Hamas militant attack on Israeli cities. Rockets streamed across the sky repeatedly after the first launches from multiple locations across Gaza at 06:30 am early morning today. The Israeli army warned of sirens across the country's south and central areas, urging the public to stay near bomb proof shelters. Hamas said: "We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation (Israel), their time for rampaging without being held accountable is over." It added: "We announce Operation Al-Aqsa Flood and we fired, in the first strike of 20 minutes, more than 5,000 rockets." The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the premier will shortly convene security chiefs over the violence. Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007 after Hamas took power. The enclave is home to 2.3 million Palestinians. Israel's army said the Palestinian fighters entered Israel by land, sea and air using paragliders. "It was a combined ground raid which happened through paragliders, through the sea and through the ground," army spokesman Richard Hecht said. "Right now we're fighting. We're fighting in certain locations around the Gaza Strip... our forces are now fighting on the ground" in Israel, he added. Hecht confirmed there are casualties but would not be drawn on details, nor discuss reports that multiple Israelis had been captured by Palestinian militants. Thousands of military reservists are set to be drawn up for Gaza, as well as northern Israel, near foes Lebanon and Syria, and the occupied West Bank.