British politician James Cleverly fled during a visit to Israel when warnings sounded for Hamas rockets.

The Foreign Secretary for the United Kingdom was visiting the war-torn region on October 11 following an attack that officials claim was launched from the Gaza Strip on Saturday, October 7.

The Israeli government has formally declared war on Hamas and vowed 'significant military steps' to retaliate against the organisation over the surprise military assault that saw hundreds of civilians killed at a music festival and in their homes in a number of villages.

Israel has also called up 300,000 reservists even as its military has said that it has regained large swathes of territory in the south of the country.

Hamas has pledged to kill its Israeli hostages if the military targets civilians. Hamas has said they have 130 hostages, including both soldiers and civilians.

The long-running and highly divisive conflict is based on Palestinian opposition to the existence of a Jewish state in what Palestinians believe is their homeland.