The military wing of Hamas has declared the start of “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” claiming to have launched over 5,000 missiles against Israel in the opening 20-minute assault.
During a significant Jewish holiday, Palestinian Hamas militants launched a surprise attack from the blockaded Gaza Strip into nearby Israeli towns, resulting in numerous casualties and abductions. Israel responded with airstrikes in Gaza, and its prime minister declared the nation to be in a state of war with Hamas, pledging to exact an “unprecedented price.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made a commitment to retaliate and reduce Hamas strongholds to ruins.
Furthermore, Israel has stated its intention to cease the supply of electricity, fuel, and goods to Gaza, as per a statement issued by Netanyahu’s office on Saturday night.
Details of the Attack on Israel on Saturday
Israel found itself in a significant battle on Saturday as it faced one of the most extensive incursions into its territory in the past five decades. Palestinian militants hailing from Gaza initiated a predawn attack on southern Israel, penetrating 22 Israeli towns and military installations, seizing Israeli civilians and soldiers, and launching thousands of rockets toward cities, including Jerusalem.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, unleashed a massive barrage of rockets across southern Israel at approximately 6:30 am on Saturday. Sirens were activated in areas as distant as Tel Aviv and Beersheba. Hamas has asserted that they fired 5,000 rockets in their initial barrage, whereas Israel’s military estimates the number at 2,500 rockets.
Following the attack, Israel officially declared a state of war with Gaza, responding with retaliatory airstrikes that further strained the already fragile medical infrastructure in the region.
Israeli authorities have reported that approximately 100 soldiers and civilians were abducted by Hamas militants. According to army spokesman Richard Hecht, these terrorists infiltrated homes, leading to civilian casualties, and a large number of them entered Israel, engaging in ongoing confrontations with Israeli troops.
By early evening, several Israelis, including an elderly grandmother, had been kidnapped and taken to Gaza. Officials also confirmed the tragic loss of at least 250 Israeli lives, with over 1,400 individuals sustaining injuries. In response, Israel launched substantial airstrikes on cities in Gaza, resulting in casualties. The Gaza Health Ministry reported that, as a result of both gun battles and airstrikes, at least 234 Palestinians had lost their lives.
International Response to the War-
The timing of the attack was remarkable, considering it occurred at one of Israel’s most difficult periods in its history. The violence occurred 50 years and one day after the Yom Kippur War of 1973, when Israel was again caught off guard by an Arab invasion on numerous fronts, resulting in massive Israeli losses and soul-searching over the country’s state.
In an address on Saturday, US President Joe Biden strongly condemned Hamas attacks on Israel, adding, “The United States stands with Israel.” He previously called the attacks “horrific” and an “appalling assault” in a statement.
The White House said that US and Israeli officials have been discussing Israel’s defense needs and that an announcement of military aid could come “as early as tomorrow”.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has denounced the Hamas attack and called for “all diplomatic endeavors to prevent a broader conflict,” as stated by UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric in a release. Furthermore, the UN has dispatched a peacekeeping force to the Lebanon-Israel border with the mission of “upholding stability and preventing further escalation.”
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, declared that his government firmly stands in “complete solidarity” with Israel in the face of what he described as a “cowardly and morally reprehensible” assault.
