Gaza and Jerusalem
cnn
—
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared the country “at war” on Saturday after Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a deadly barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israeli territory in a Major escalation of the long-standing conflict. between the two sides.
The early morning surprise attack has left at least 22 dead and more than 250 injured, according to Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency rescue service. It comes on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war, in which Arab states bombed Israel on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
According to the Israeli military, around 2,200 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel on Saturday morning, as gunmen infiltrated across the border in a ground attack into southern Israel.
Hamas, the Palestinian militant movement that rules Gaza and claimed responsibility for the attack, said it had captured several Israeli soldiers near the border after its fighters entered Israel by land, sea and air using paragliders.
Israel’s military has not confirmed reports that soldiers have been captured, but a video published by Reuters appeared to show Palestinian gunmen dragging an Israeli soldier out of a tank at the Gaza fence.
The MDA also said that one of its ambulances had been taken to the Gaza Strip.
Calling the operation “Al-Aqsa Storm,” Hamas military commander Muhammad Al-Deif said in a recorded message that the group had “targeted enemy positions, airports and military positions with 5,000 rockets” and that the attack to Israel was a response to attacks on women, the desecration of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the current siege of Gaza.
In response, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had launched strikes against several Hamas targets in Gaza and said it had called up thousands of reservists.
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said in a briefing that Israeli forces “are fighting on the ground as we speak,” listing at least half a dozen locations where fighting is taking place, including several villages, two bases military and border crossings.
Residents have told Israeli broadcasters that some militants are trying to break into their homes and asking Israeli forces for help.
Netanyahu has promised that Hamas “will pay a price it never knew” for the attack. “Citizens of Israel, we are at war, not in an operation, not in rounds, at war,” he said in a video message.
The IDF has warned Israelis living near Gaza to stay in their homes or go to shelters.
“In the past hour, the Hamas terrorist organization had initiated a massive rocket launch from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, and terrorists infiltrated Israeli territory in several different locations,” the Israeli military said in a statement. Sirens warning of incoming rockets continued for at least three hours after the initial bombardment.
“The terrorist organization Hamas is sovereign in the Gaza Strip and is responsible for this attack. “He will assume the consequences and responsibility for these events,” he added.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Israel was facing “a very difficult time,” in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I wish to offer strength to IDF commanders and soldiers, and to all security forces and rescue services. “I send my encouragement and strength to all residents of Israel who are under attack,” he added.
CNN crews in Jerusalem heard sirens and rocket warning booms, likely interceptions of incoming rockets, as sirens continued to sound across Israel.
The first round of rockets was fired around 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning local time (11:30 p.m. ET), when most Israelis were likely sleeping.
It is rare for Palestinian militants to reach Israel from Gaza, which is isolated and heavily guarded by the Israeli army.
Israeli TV Channel 12 reported that Gaza infiltrators had entered Kibbutz Beeri, saying residents were urging the IDF to rush to the kibbutz.
Channel 12 also reported that infiltrators had taken hostages in Netiv HaAsara. Israeli authorities did not immediately confirm any details about those reports.
Social media images obtained by CNN showed several masked gunmen in a van driving down a street in the Israeli city of Sderot. Gunshots are also heard in the video.
One woman was killed and at least 15 people were wounded in Israel’s southern and lowland regions in militant attacks, Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said in a mid-morning update on Saturday.
The MDA said the woman who was killed was in her 60s, revising her age from 70, which CNN had previously reported.
Two people are in critical condition, six in moderate condition and seven with minor injuries, the MDA said in a statement.
The MDA said teams are “responding to areas where missile falls and live gunshot incidents have been reported” and urged people to follow instructions from authorities and to proceed carefully and promptly to a protected area when an alarm sounds.
MDA spokesperson Zaki Heller also urged people to donate blood, saying a special blood drive is being organized in Tel Aviv for Saturday morning “due to an urgent need.”
The rockets, which were witnessed by a CNN producer in Gaza, set off sirens as far north as the Tel Aviv area, as far east as Beer Sheva and many other places in between.
Social media images obtained by CNN showed the aftermath of a rocket attack on the coastal city of Ashkelon, where several cars could be seen burning next to an apartment complex, with thick black smoke rising into the air.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are conducting security assessments at the Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s office said.
Gaza is one of the most densely populated places in the world, an isolated coastal enclave of nearly 2 million people crammed into 140 square miles.
Ruled by Hamas, the territory is largely isolated from the rest of the world by an Israeli blockade of Gaza’s land, air and sea dating back to 2007. Egypt controls Gaza’s southern border crossing, Rafah.
Israel has imposed heavy restrictions on the freedom of movement of civilians and controls the import of basic goods in the narrow coastal strip.
Discover more from PressNewsAgency
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.