Hamas fired at least seven rockets at Jerusalem and Beit Shemesh on Monday, with rocket sirens sounding Sderot later in the day, according to Ynet.
The South was also hit with multiple projectiles, with Palestinian Islamic Jihad threatening to launch more rockets from Gaza into Israel beginning at 9 p.m. Israel time, reported the Times of Israel.
Ynet reported that a security cabinet meeting of ministers agreed on a major aerial strike on Gaza in response, but did not approve a ground operation.
The Israeli Air Force has since carried out several air strikes in Gaza.
“Hamas must be dealt a heavy blow, and yet, everyone understands our limitations,” an Israeli official told Ynet. “We have no desire for large wars.”
The official was hopeful that relative calm would return in two or three days.
However, the IDF did warn Hamas that all options were on the table, including a ground incursion into Gaza, reported the Jerusalem Post.
Multiple roads and train lines in southern Israel were closed over security concerns, after the rocket attack began during Jerusalem Day when thousands of Israelis were parading through downtown streets.
IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Hidai Zilberman told the Jerusalem Post that the rocket attacks aimed at Jerusalem and Gaza border communities and an anti-tank missile that hit a civilian vehicle “is a significant event that won’t go by quietly.”
“Hamas will feel that our response to this event...it will not last several minutes, but days,” he said calling the rockets fired from Gaza an “inexcusable event.”
Zilberman said that the IDF has a “number of options on the table.”
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have both taken responsibility for the rocket attacks, with Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida stating that they were "in response to (Israeli) crimes and aggression against the holy city and harassment of our people in Sheikh Jarrah and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, and this is a message that the enemy should understand well."
Train service between Be’er Sheva and Ashkelon was halted on Monday due to the barrage of rockets, with visitors not allowed to go to Zikim Beach, located north of Gaza, reported Ynet.
According to a report from Kan national broadcaster, the country is expecting additional rocket fire from Gaza tonight to hit central Israel. Planes are being rerouted to avoid flying in paths that place them near Gaza.
Earlier on Monday, the IDF announced it was sending additional troops to Israel’s South and to Judea and Samaria.