ANKARA

The armed wing of Palestine's Hamas movement on Sunday said it used explosive-laden drones to attack Israeli targets in its large-scale military operation initiated early Saturday.

In a statement, Al-Qassam Brigades said it fired 35 of its Al-Zawari attack drones on all fighting fronts with Israel.

The Hamas-produced UAVs are named after Tunisian engineer Mohamed Al-Zawari, who helped in their development and was assassinated in Tunisia in 2016. Hamas said Israeli intelligence was behind the killing.

Hamas launched Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, a multifront attack on Israel on Saturday, saying it was in response to the storming of the Al-Aqsa Mosque and increased settler violence. It said it fired rockets and captured many Israelis.

In turn, the Israeli army initiated Operation Swords of Iron against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, launching airstrikes on the Palestinian enclave.

At least 600 Israelis and 370 Palestinians are reported dead as the fighting continued into its second day on Sunday.

Israel’s Security Cabinet confirmed Saturday night that the nation was in a state of war, authorizing "significant military steps," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed on Sunday. The statement said the decision was made in accordance with Clause 40 of Israel's Basic Law.