2023-10-07 12:28:37
Israel and Gaza are at war once morefollowing the launch this Saturday of a surprise offensive by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamaswhich fired thousands of rockets and infiltrated combatants by land, sea and air, with a balance for the moment of more than 20 dead.
«“We are at war,” declared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. while ordering “a broad mobilization” of reservists.
“The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” the president promised in a video message, in which he acknowledged that Hamas, which governs the enclave, launched “a criminal surprise attack.”
The spike in violence began with a barrage of rockets launched from various points in the Gaza Strip starting at 6:30 a.m. (03:30 GMT) this Saturday. The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack and claimed that thousands of projectiles were launched.
Since this morning, the State of Israel has been at war. Our first objective is to clear out the hostile forces that infiltrated our territory and restore the security and quiet to the communities that have been attacked.
The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an… pic.twitter.com/MzKs7tfv4M
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) October 7, 2023
The Israeli army responded by attacking Hamas targets in Gaza from the air, and was also fighting on Israeli soil, near the Palestinian enclave, once morest militants infiltrated from Gaza by land, sea and air.
“There was a combined attack with the help of paragliders,” Israeli army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Richard Hecht told the press, warning that “something big” was happening.
The Israeli emergency service, Magen David Adom, equivalent of The Red Cross reported 22 deaths from gunshots in Israel during clashes with Palestinian militias, in addition to “hundreds of wounded.”
Among the deceased is the president of the regional council of the Israeli towns bordering the northeast of the Gaza Stripdied in a shootout with Palestinian attackers.
The armed wing of Hamas, for its part, published a video showing three men dressed as civilians who, it said, were captured by its fighters.
“Operation Deluge”
The Israeli armed forces reported the activation of sirens in the south of the countrywhile the police asked the population to stay near the bomb shelters. The sirens were also activated in Jerusalem, saccording to AFP journalists.
The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for the rocket attack and claimed that more than 5,000 rockets were launched.
«We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the (Israeli) occupation; “His time of rampaging without accountability is over,” declared the group. “We announced Operation Al Aqsa Deluge and fired, in the first 20-minute attack, more than 5,000 rockets.”
The Israeli army reported firing at least 2,200 rockets from Gaza until 10:30 a.m. local time (07:30 GMT).
Hundreds of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip left their homes to move away from border areas with Israel. Men, women and children fled with blankets and food, most of them from the northeastern part of the Palestinian enclave, an AFP journalist noted.
The escalation of violence sparked numerous international reactions.
Russia He called for an “immediate” ceasefire, following saying that he had contacted “the whole world (…), with the Israelis, the Palestinians and the Arabs.”
The European Union condemned “without ambiguity” the attacks “by the Hamas terrorists”, and expressed its “solidarity with Israel”, which has the “right to defend itself”, said the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
France, United Kingdom, Germany and Spain condemned the Hamas attacks and both Italy like Ukraine They supported Israel’s right to defend itself. India expressed his “solidarity” with the Jewish State.
Hamas Instead, it earned praise from two sworn enemies of Israel in the region: the Lebanese Shiite movement. Hezbollahand Iran, through the mouth of a military advisor to the supreme guide.
Border protests
Israel maintains a harsh blockade once morest the Gaza Stripan impoverished and overpopulated Palestinian territory, since Hamas assumed full power in 2007.
Since then there have been several devastating wars between Palestinian fighters and Israeli forces. The two sides experienced tensions in September, when Israel closed the border to Palestinian workers for two weeks.
The border closure was criticized as collective punishment that harmed thousands of Palestinian workers, who can earn more money working in Israel than in Gaza, where unemployment is very high.
The border reopening sparked esperanza of an improvement in the situation in Gaza, where 2.3 million people live.
In May, An exchange of Israeli airstrikes and rockets from Gaza sparked death of 34 Palestinians and one Israeli.
AFP
1696682467
#Israel #Gaza #war #surprise #Hamas #offensive
