For the first time since the beginning of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip, today the siren sounded warning of a rocket attack in Jerusalem.

According to military reports, warning sirens could be heard throughout the city this morning. Residents reported explosions, DPA reported.

Since Friday, according to the military, more than 400 rockets have been fired at Israel from the Gaza Strip.

There are fears that the situation could escalate further due to the Jewish day of fasting and mourning, Tisha B'Av. Religious Jews mourn the destruction of the two ancient temples in Jerusalem on this day.

The Islamist organization Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, called in the evening to "defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the place known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to resist Israeli attacks on the holy place."

The Noble Sanctuary, or al-Haram al-Sharif, with the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque, is the third holiest site in Islam. To the Jews it is known as the Temple Mount, where the two destroyed temples were.