Earlier in an interview with CNN, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Washington was considering Israeli requests for military assistance for the operation in the Gaza Strip.

"Israeli officials have made several specific requests to Washington … including replenishment of Iron Dome interceptor missiles, small diameter bombs, machine gun ammunition, and increased cooperation in intelligence sharing related to potential military activity in southern Lebanon ," the Washington Post reported, citing sources.

Zionist regime is incurring tens of thousands of dollars in losses for each missile it uses to intercept Palestinian rockets whose local manufacturing cost is way less than the cost of the Iron Dome's interceptors, Anadolu Agency reported.

Speaking to the Jerusalem Post newspaper, missile expert Uzi Rubin estimated the cost of the short-range Qassam rocket fired by Hamas to be somewhere between $300 to $800 each.

Rubin, an Israeli defense engineer, pointed out that Hamas's best rockets are “relatively simply made” and “inexpensive.”

Former chairman of the Fisher Institute's space research center Tal Inbar estimated the cost of Iron Dome's interceptors to be between $50,000 and $100,000 each.

Earlier, the Zionist regime was hit by a massive rocket attack from the Gaza Strip. Hamas fighters then entered the border areas in southern occupied territories. The military wing of the Palestinian movement announced Operation Al-Aqsa Flood against Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces then announced the launch of Operation Iron Swords against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In an address to the nation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the country was in a state of war and that he had ordered a widespread mobilization of reserves.

According to the latest reports, the death toll in Israel has reached 700 and the death toll due to Israeli strikes on the Gaza Strip has increased to 400.

Al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of Hamas) said they had captured dozens of Israeli soldiers and officers.