Palestinian armed men have entered the south of Israel and a fire fueled by rockets has been drawn from the Gaza Strip as part of a surprise attack claimed by the Islamist Hamas movement, the largest offensive against Israel for several years.
According to Israeli media, at least 22 Israelis died and 300 others were injured in the operation launched by Hamas, in the morning of this Saturday, October 7, 2023.
This Saturday’s events mark an unprecedented infiltration of Hamas since Gaza and the most serious climbing since Israel and Hamas waged a war for ten days in 2021.
Hamas has announced that it has launched the operation “deluge from Al-Aqsa” against Israel and launched more than 5,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip to Israel this morning. This operation puts an end to a Truce generally respected since the end of a five -day war last May.
The Israeli army said, for its part that Hamas was the source of a “combined attack, including rocket fire and infiltration of terrorists in Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip”.
The Israeli army has announced to be placed on the war foot while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called an emergency meeting for country security officials.
Mohammed DEIF, high military commander of Hamas, announced the launch of the operation in a message broadcast on the air, calling the Palestinians in the combat wherever they are.
“Here is the day of the biggest battles to end the last occupation on earth,” he said, adding that 5,000 rockets had been drawn.
Hamas has also announced control of at least three colonies in the Gaza Strip while the radio of the Israeli army, announced that 35 Israelis between civilians and soldiers were taken hostage by Palestinians.
Israeli media reported that armed men had opened fire to passers -by in the city of Sderot, in the south of the country and reported street battles between groups of Palestinian fighters and security forces in several cities in southern Israel.
The Israeli Yoav Defense Minister Gallant said that Hamas had “launched a war against the State of Israel” and that “Israeli troops were fighting the enemy in all places”. The army said the soldiers also operated in Gaza, without further details.
