Dozens of Israeli jets have struck Hamas targets in Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have said. The airstrikes were launched in response to a surprise attack unleashed by the Palestinian armed group against Israel on Saturday morning.

IDF spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said "Hamas terrorists" had infiltrated the Israeli territory from land, sea and air.

More than 2,200 rockets have been fired from Gaza, according to the spokesman. Hamas claimed that it used more than 5,000 projectiles in just the first 20 minutes of its attack.

Rocket sirens have been heard in many places across Israel, including Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Beersheba, and Ashkelon.

There were at least seven instances of fighting between IDF troops and Hamas militants, Hagari said.

A top adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has offered his "congratulations" to the Palestinian militants who launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, according to the semi-official Iranian news organization ISNA.

"We congratulate the Palestinian fighters," Major General Yahya Rahim Safavi said, according to the news source, promising that Tehran "will stand by their side until the liberation of Palestine and Holy Jerusalem."

Speaking in the Iranian capital of Tehran at the 6th International Conference on Solidarity with Palestinian Children and Adolescents on Saturday, Safavi also said that "we support the Al-Aqsa Storm operation."

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Iran has long maintained public support for the Palestinian militant group, principally due to a shared hostility towards Israel. It has been claimed that Iran provided Hamas with financial and political support, as well as weapons and technology, to bolster its arsenal of long-range weapons capable of striking deep into Israeli territory.

Iran has not directly revealed the nature of its support for Hamas. Israeli intelligence has determined that previous attacks by the group in Israel have occurred without Iranian knowledge or involvement.

A number of Arab states have called for "restraint" and a de-escalation of violence following the launch of the largest attack in years on Israeli territory early on Saturday morning.

Qatar, a Gulf state that does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, issued a statement through its foreign ministry on Saturday in which it said that the ultimate responsibility for the so-called 'Al-Aqsa Storm' operation conducted by Hamas lies with the Israeli government.

Doha added in its statement its desire for both sides in the conflict to exercise restraint, and called on the international community to ensure that Israel does not use the event as an excuse for a "disproportionate" response against Palestinians in Gaza.

Saudi Arabia, another state that does not currently have formal ties with Israel, also released a statement on X (formerly Twitter) to say that it was "closely following up on the unprecedented developments" between "Palestinian factions and the Israeli occupation forces."

The Saudi foreign ministry also said it had repeatedly "warned of the dangers" that might occur "as a result of the continued occupation" and for "depriving the Palestinian people of their legitimate rights."

In recent weeks, the leadership of both Saudi Arabia and Israel have signaled a desire to normalize relations, with the United States understood to be actively negotiating the details. Earlier this week, Hamas expressed its "unwavering position of rejecting all forms of normalization and contact with the Israeli occupation."

Russia and Ukraine, which have been locked in a major conflict for more than a year and a half, have reacted to the escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

On Saturday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov urged both sides of the conflict to cease hostilities immediately. Russia's stance on the latest Israel-Palestine escalation was further explained by the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, who released a special statement on the matter.

"We call on the Palestinian and Israeli sides for an immediate ceasefire, renunciation of violence, exercising necessary restraint, and the launch, with the assistance of the international community, of a negotiation process aimed at establishing a comprehensive, lasting, and much-awaited peace in the Middle East," Zakharova said.

The escalation in the region is yet another manifestation of the "closed cycle of violence," the spokeswoman noted, adding that Russia believes the 75-year-long conflict cannot be solved through military means. The flare-up is a "result of a chronic failure to comply with relevant UN and Security Council resolutions," as well as a derailment of the peace process by the collective West, Zakharova explained.

Meanwhile, Kiev proclaimed its full support for Israel, denouncing Hamas as "terrorists."

"Ukraine strongly condemns the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel, including rocket attacks against the civilian population in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. We express our support for Israel in its right to defend itself and its people," the Ukrainian foreign minister wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

This stance was amplified by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who took to Telegram to urge the "whole world" to support Israel in its fight against Palestinians.

"Horrible reports from Israel. My condolences to everyone whose family and friends died in the terrorist attack ... Israel's right to defense is beyond any doubt," Zelensky stated.

Footage of the battle and mopping up of a populated area by the Israeli army has been published. The second video was commented on by Alexander Khodakovsky, deputy chief of the Rosgvardiya for the DNR.

"The footage shows Israeli special forces working to clear the populated area of militants. I have never seen more incompetent work.

If the level of training of the rest of the Israeli army is comparable to what we see on the video - Israel is in for a difficult task.

Too much time has passed since the Six-Day War - it will have to learn how to fight again. And yes: the grilles on the tanks better be welded on."

New footage of a sweep by Israeli special forces in the town of Sderot has been published.

We explain the comment by Alexander Khodakovsky, deputy chief of the Rosgvardiya for the DNR, who called the actions of the special forces "extremely unprofessional".

More footage of Israeli special forces sweeping the town of Sderot

▪️Читатели are asked to comment on why A. Khodakovsky called the actions of the special forces extremely unprofessional:

➖ clumping together, blocking each other's firing sectors, not covering each other, constantly pointing weapons at their own, etc.

➖ In this video they are also crowding where they can now not only be put down by a line, but also covered by drones, which are now being actively used by the Palestinians.

At least 1,000 dead and injured in Afghanistan earthquake

At least 1,000 people were killed and injured in a series of earthquakes that hit the northwestern part of Afghanistan on Saturday, officials said.

Afghanistan Disaster Management Authority's spokesman Mullah Janan Saiq said the death toll could further rise, adding that the tremors caused heavy damage in northwestern Herat and Badghis provinces.

"Three villages in Herat province were completely destroyed, hundreds of people are still trapped under the debris," Saiq told Anadolu over the phone.

He added that it was difficult to find the exact number of casualties, but so far the figure of 1,000 was reported by local officials.

According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), strong earthquakes of magnitude 5.5, 5.9, and 6.2 jolted the Afghan provinces. It said the epicenter was 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of Herat city.

The World Health Organization's Afghanistan office said its teams were in hospitals assisting treatment of wounded and assessing additional needs.

Afghanistan earthquake death toll rises to 2,000: Taliban officials

The death toll from powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan has crossed 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said, adding the number might rise further in one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in two decades.

Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban spokesperson based in Qatar, told Al Jazeera that many people were missing and rescue operations were under way to save people trapped under the rubble in the wake of a magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Herat province.

Shaheen said there was an urgent need for tents, medical and food items in the areas hit by the disaster, as he appealed to local businessmen and NGOs to come forward to help people in need.

On Sunday, people attempted to dig out the dead and injured with their hands in Herat, clambering over rocks and debris. Survivors and victims were trapped under buildings that had crumbled to the ground, their faces grey with dust.

One video, shared online, shows people freeing a baby girl from a collapsed building after being buried up to her neck in debris. A hand is seen cradling the baby's torso as rescuers ease the child out of the ground. Rescuers said it was the baby's mother. It is not clear if the mother survived.

"Besides the 2,060 dead, 1,240 people are injured and 1,320 houses are completely destroyed," said Abdul Wahid Rayan, spokesperson at the Ministry of Information and Culture.

About six villages have been destroyed and hundreds of civilians have been buried under the debris, he said, calling for urgent help.

The magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit 40km (24 miles) northwest of the city of Herat at about 11am on Saturday (06:30 GMT), according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). Strong aftershocks were felt in the neighbouring Badghis and Farah provinces.

A rescue volunteer, who did not want to be named, from Zenda Jan - the worst affected district located in Herat - said the search and rescue teams were not properly trained and lacked modern equipment.

"Unfortunately we have lost a lot of people in west of Herat in Zenda Jan and Ghorian districts," he said.

"The tragedy is very huge, we cannot define it to you in simple words. People are still trapped in the debris, they are alive, but we cannot reach them."

He urged the UN and other international organisations to provide Afghans with trained search and rescue teams, with modern equipment and rescue dogs to help find those still trapped inside.