The Embassy of Georgia to Israel warns Georgian citizens residing in Israel against leaving their houses.

“After the 10 May air strike on Israel from the Gaza strip, the country’s government declared the state of emergency. Take precautions and avoid leaving homes! Ask for antimissile shelters near your houses. Do not go to balconies and avoid windows”, - reads the statement of the Embassy.

Tensions between Israel and the Palestinians escalated dramatically on Monday as militant groups in Gaza fired rockets into Israel and Israel responded with strikes on the Palestinian coastal territory following a police raid on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem that left hundreds injured, writes The Guardian.

The rocket attacks were launched just minutes after the passing of a Hamas-issued ultimatum for Israel to withdraw security forces from both the Jerusalem compound that is home to the al-Aqsa mosque and the Old City’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood.

The two locations have been the scene of increasingly violent confrontations in recent days between Israeli security forces and Palestinians that have drawn mounting international concern.