The shelling killed two Palestinians in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip.

In addition, a Palestinian hospital worker was killed and others injured after the Israeli army shelled the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahiya, according to WAFA.

The hospital was also damaged in the attack.

The Israeli shelling followed an unprecedented surprise attack by Hamas on Saturday morning.

The attack comprised a barrage of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, some reaching as far as Tel Aviv.

At the same time, militants infiltrated southern Israel and clashed with Israeli soldiers.

The Israeli prime minister convened his security cabinet for an urgent meeting as Israel and put the country on war footing.

Expecting fierce Israeli reprisals, activity ground to a halt in the Gaza Strip, as schools and businesses closed and people sheltered in their homes.

In the West Bank, the Israeli army closed the Karama border crossing with Jordan, Nathmi Muhanna, the head of the crossing’s authority, told WAFA.

No timeline was given for when the crossing would be reopened, he added.

Internal movement in the West Bank was also restricted, as Israeli security forces closed checkpoints in East Jerusalem, Jericho, and elsewhere in the Jordan Valley.