Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house in Ashkelon, southern Israel on Saturday.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

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Tsafrir Abayov/AP

Israeli firefighters extinguish a fire after a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip hit a house in Ashkelon, southern Israel on Saturday.

Tsafrir Abayov/AP

TEL AVIV, Israel — In a surprise attack, Gaza militants infiltrated Israel in several locations on Saturday and fired heavy barrages of rockets at central and southern Israel.

There are reports of Israeli casualties, including a woman killed by rocket fire.

The Israeli military has declared a “state of war alert” and has carried out strikes on Gaza.

Air raid sirens and booms were heard in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and across central and southern Israel early Saturday morning.

Israeli media are also reporting on unprecedented scenes of Gaza militants driving into Israel on trucks and carrying out firefights inside Israeli communities.

In a statement, a top Hamas militant commander said the attacks were in response to Israeli encroachment on the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. He called for a regional war.