Bruno Mars Israel concert canceled after Hamas surprise attack

ISRAEL -- Bruno Mars' show scheduled to take place in Tel Aviv, Israel on Saturday night has been canceled, according to concert organizer Live Nation Israel.

On the company's verified Instagram earlier on Saturday, a text post to customers read, "Bruno Mars concert scheduled to take place tonight is cancelled. (sic)"

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Mars played in Israel for the first time on Wednesday to a crowd of 60,000, with a second show planned for Saturday, according to his tour schedule.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his country "at war," after Palestinian militants from Gaza fired a deadly barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israeli territory Saturday morning. In response, Israel launched air strikes on Gaza, and fighting has continued throughout the day.

The surprise attack and subsequent fighting marks a major escalation of the long-running conflict between the two sides.

Israeli authorities say at least 200 people are dead and more than 1,400 wounded in Israel. Meanwhile, Palestinian authorities say at least 232 Palestinians have died, and more than 1,600 are wounded.

A new round of rockets fired by Gaza militants on Saturday evening made direct hits on multiple locations inside Israel, including in Tel Aviv, according to Israeli authorities.

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