Over 100 Israelis dead amid Hamas rocket attacks and terrorist infiltration
Battles continue against terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
Jewish News Syndicate (JNS)/October 07/2023
https://www.jns.org/at-least-40-dead-amid-hamas-rocket-attacks-and-terrorist-infiltration/
Hamas killed more than 100 Israelis on Saturday as it launched a massive offensive from the Gaza Strip, including firing more than 2,500 rockets and sending dozens of Palestinian terrorists to infiltrate the Jewish state.
As of 3 p.m., there were reports of active combat between Israeli security forces and Hamas terrorists in Kibbutz Be’eri and Kibbutz Kfar Aza.
There were also reports of a hostage situation in Ofakim, located some 12 miles from the Gaza border.
Hamas claimed to be holding more than 35 Israelis hostage in Gaza.
More than 800 Israelis were evacuated to hospitals across the country, including many at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheva and Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
Scores of the wounded were in serious condition, including at least 80 at Soroka, where there were also 10 victims in critical condition.
People were asked to donate blood across Israel, especially those with type O universal donor blood. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened the Security Cabinet at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
“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,” said Netanyahu at the start of the meeting.
“The second objective, at the same time, is to exact an immense price from the enemy, within the Gaza Strip as well. The third objective is to reinforce other fronts so that nobody should mistakenly join this war.
“We are at war. In war, one needs to be level-headed. I call on all citizens of Israel to unite in order to achieve our highest goal—victory in the war,” added the premier.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convenes the Security Cabinet at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, Oct. 7, 2023. Photo by Haim Zach/GPO.
In response, the Israel Air Force launched “Operation Swords of Iron,” initially striking 17 Hamas “military” compounds and four operational headquarters in Gaza.
The IDF was ordered to a “state of war readiness” and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant authorized the call-up of reserve troops.
He also announced a “special security situation” within 80 kilometers of the Gaza Strip, enabling the IDF to close relevant sites and impose safety restrictions on the population.
President Isaac Herzog denounced on Saturday the “cold-blooded” killings of Israelis and called on the international community to act.
“Today we saw the true face of Hamas. A terrorist army whose only goal is the cold-blooded murder of innocent men, women, and children,” said Herzog.
“Supported and directed by their proxy commanders in Iran, they carried out an unprovoked, heinous attack against the Jewish state on a Jewish holy day [Simchat Torah]. Innocent civilians were massacred and wounded, and many are still under attack.
“The State of Israel will take all measures necessary to eliminate this clear and immediate danger to our citizens. Israel will overcome in the face of all challenges. I call upon the family of nations: This war waged against us marks a line in the sand. Now is the time to hear clear, unequivocal condemnation of Hamas, its allies, and its backers in Iran. Now is the time to stand firm with Israel in support of its just and moral battle in the face of an abhorrent enemy,” said the president.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid on Saturday gave full support to the government to strike hard at Hamas.
“At times like these, there is no opposition or coalition in Israel. We will give full backing to the security forces for a harsh response against terrorism and its proxies,” said Lapid.
“The whole world must stand with Israel as we defend ourselves from terror,” said Lapid. “We must mobilize the international community against [Palestinian] terror.”
The United States condemned Hamas’s multi-pronged offensive.
“Sickened by the images coming out of southern Israel of dead and wounded civilians at the hands of terrorists from Gaza. The United States stands with Israel,” said acting U.S. Ambassador in Jerusalem Stephanie Hallett.
“I condemn the indiscriminate rocket fire by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians. I am in contact with Israeli officials, and fully support Israel’s right to defend itself from such terrorist acts,” she said.
Netanyahu was expected to speak with U.S. President Joe Biden later in the afternoon.
قتل 160 فلسطينيا في غارات إسرائيلية على قطاع غزة
وكالات/07 تشرين الأول/2023
غزة: قتل أكثر من 160 فلسطينيا وأصيب العشرات بجروح، اليوم السبت، في هجمات إسرائيلية متواصلة على قطاع غزة بعد ساعات من إطلاق حركة “حماس” هجوما غير مسبوق ضد إسرائيل. وأفاد مصدر طبي بنقل العشرات من الشهداء إلى مجمع الشفاء الطبي في غزة إلى جانب العشرات بجروح عدد منهم بحالة الخطر. وذكر المصدر أن مقر الطوارئ في مجمع الشفاء الأكبر في قطاع غزة يستقبل بشكل مستمر إصابات حرجة، لافتا إلى أن حصيلة الشهداء مرشحة للتصاعد بشدة. وقالت مصادر محلية إن صحافيا من بين الشهداء قضى باستهداف إسرائيلي خلال تغطيته التطورات قرب السياج الفاصل بين قطاع غزة وإسرائيل. وفي وقت سابق السبت، أعلنت وزارة الصحة الفلسطينية في غزة استشهاد عامل بمستشفى شمالي القطاع وإصابة موظفين ومواطنين جراء قصف إسرائيلي. وقالت الوزارة، في بيان: “نستنكر إقدام قوات الاحتلال الإسرائيلي على استهداف مستشفى الأندونيسي شمالي القطاع، ما أدى إلى استشهاد أحد العاملين فيها وإصابة العديد من الموظفين والمواطنين”. وأوضحت الوزارة أن القصف “تسبب بتعطل محطة الأوكسجين وتوقفها عن الإنتاج”. وطالبت “المؤسسات الدولية والإنسانية باتخاذ كافة الإجراءات التي تضمن حماية المؤسسات الصحية وسيارات الإسعاف والطواقم الطبية خلال الطوارئ”. ولم يصدر من الجيش الإسرائيلي تعقيب فوري حول الأمر.
وفي وقت سابق، السبت، أعلنت “كتائب القسام”، الجناح المسلح لحركة “حماس”، بدء عملية عسكرية من غزة ضد إسرائيل باسم “طوفان الأقصى” قالت إنها “استهدفت بضربة أولى مواقع ومطارات وتحصينات عسكرية للعدو”. وتداول نشطاء فلسطينيون في غزة، صوراً ومقاطع فيديو على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي تظهر “استيلاء” عناصر من الفصائل الفلسطينية ومواطنين على مركبات إسرائيلية. من جانبه، قال جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي، في بيان: “بدأت منظمة حماس عملية مزدوجة شملت إطلاق قذائف صاروخية وتسلل مخربين إلى داخل الأراضي الإسرائيلية”، مشيراً إلى أن “منظمة حماس ستدفع ثمنًا باهظًا”.وتواصل فصائل فلسطينية إطلاق رشقاتها الصاروخية باتجاه المستوطنات الإسرائيلية، والتي بدأتها فجر السبت.
Palestinians say at least 198 killed in Gaza in Israeli retaliation for a Hamas assault into Israel.
Hamas kills 40 in unprecedented, wide-ranging incursion into Israel. Netanyahu says ‘we are at war’
Sat, October 7, 2023
JERUSALEM (AP) — The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea, catching the country off guard on a major holiday.
Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.
At least 561 wounded people were being treated in Israeli hospitals, including at least 77 who were in critical condition, according to an Associated Press count based on public statements and calls to hospitals.
There was no official comment on casualties in Gaza, but AP reporters witnessed the funerals of 15 people who were killed and saw another eight bodies arrive at a local hospital. It was not immediately clear if they were fighters or civilians.
Social media was replete with videos of Hamas fighters parading what appeared to be stolen Israeli military vehicles through the streets and at least one dead Israeli soldier within Gaza being dragged and trampled by an angry crowd of Palestinians shouting “God is Greatest.”
Videos released by Hamas appeared to show at least three Israelis captured alive. The military declined to give details about casualties or kidnappings as it continued to battle the infiltrators.
“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.”
“The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” he added, promising that Israel would “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.”
At a meeting of top security officials later on Saturday, Netanyahu said the first priority was to “cleanse the area” of enemy infiltrators, then to “exact a huge price from the enemy,” and to fortify other areas so that no other militant groups join the war.
The serious invasion on Simchat Torah, a normally joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll, revived painful memories of the 1973 Mideast war practically 50 years to the day, in which Israel’s enemies launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Comparisons to one of the most traumatic moments in Israeli history sharpened criticism of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who had campaigned on more aggressive action against threats from Gaza. Political commentators lambasted the government over its failure to anticipate what appeared to be a Hamas attack unseen in its level of planning and coordination.
The Israeli military struck targets in Gaza in response for some 2,500 rockets that sent air raid sirens wailing constantly as far north as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. It said its forces were engaged in gunfights with Hamas militants who had infiltrated Israel in at least seven locations. The fighters had sneaked across the separation fence and even invaded Israel through the air with paragliders, the army said.
Israeli TV broadcast footage of explosions tearing through the Gaza-Israel border fence, followed by what appeared to be Palestinian gunmen riding into Israel on motorcycles. Gunmen also reportedly entered on pickup trucks.
It was not immediately clear what prompted Hamas to launch the attacks, which would have likely required months of planning.
But over the past year Israel’s far-right government has ramped up settlement construction in the occupied West Bank, Israeli settler violence has displaced hundreds of Palestinians there, and tensions have flared around a flashpoint Jerusalem holy site.
The shadowy leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced the start of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” The Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem is the third holiest site in Islam, and is located on the holiest site for Jews, who refer to it as the Temple Mount.
“Enough is enough,” Deif, who does not appear in public, said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight. “Today the people are regaining their revolution.”
In a televised address, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Hamas had made “a grave mistake” and promised that “the state of Israel will win this war.”
Western nations condemned the incursion and reiterated their support for Israel, while others called for restraint on both sides.
“The U.S. unequivocally condemns the unprovoked attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians,” said Adrienne Watson, spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council. “We stand firmly with the government and people of Israel and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks.”
Watson said Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, has spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Tzachi Hanegbi.
Saudi Arabia, which has been in talks with the U.S. about normalizing relations with Israel, released a statement calling on both sides to exercise restraint. The kingdom said it had repeatedly warned about “ the dangers of the situation exploding as a result of the continued occupation (and) the Palestinian people being deprived of their legitimate rights.”
The attack comes at a time of historic division within Israel over Netanyahu’s proposal to overhaul the judiciary. Mass protests over the plan have sent hundreds thousands of Israeli demonstrators into the streets and prompted hundreds of military reservists to avoid volunteer duty — turmoil that has raised fears over the military’s battlefield readiness and raised concerns about its deterrence over its enemies.
The infiltration of fighters into southern Israel marked a major escalation by Hamas that forced millions of Israelis to hunker down in safe rooms. Cities and towns emptied as the military closed roads near Gaza. Israel’s rescue service and the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza appealed to the public to donate blood.
“We understand that this is something big,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman, told reporters. He said the Israeli military had called up the army reserves.
Hecht declined to comment on how Hamas had managed to catch the army off guard. “That’s a good question,” he said.
Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled leader of Hamas, said that Palestinian fighters were “engaged in these historic moments in a heroic operation” to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
In the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Gaza Strip, terrified residents who were huddled indoors said they could hear constant gunfire echoing off the buildings as firefights continued even hours after the initial attack.
“With rockets we somehow feel safer, knowing that we have the Iron Dome (missile defense system) and our safe rooms. But knowing that terrorists are walking around communities is a different kind of fear,” said Mirjam Reijnen, a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter and mother of three in Nahal Oz.
Israel has built a massive fence along the Gaza border meant to prevent infiltrations. It goes deep underground and is equipped with cameras, high-tech sensors and sensitive listening technology.
The escalation comes after weeks of heightened tensions along Israel’s volatile border with Gaza, and heavy fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Saturday’s wide-ranging assault threatened to undermine Netanyahu’s reputation as a security expert who would do anything to protect Israel. It also raised questions about the cohesion of a security apparatus crucial to the stability of a country locked in low-intensity conflicts on multiple fronts and facing threats from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
Hezbollah congratulated Hamas on Friday, praising the attack as a response to “Israeli crimes” and saying the militants had “divine backing.” The group said its command in Lebanon was in contact with Hamas about the operation.
Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The bitter enemies have fought four wars since then. There have also been numerous rounds of smaller fighting between Israel and Hamas and other smaller militant groups based in Gaza.
The blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, has devastated the territory’s economy. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep militant groups from building up their arsenals. The Palestinians say the closure amounts to collective punishment.
The rocket fire comes during a period of heavy fighting in the West Bank, where nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids this year. In the volatile northern West Bank, scores of militants and residents poured into the streets in celebration at the news of the rocket barrages.
Israel says the raids are aimed at militants, but stone-throwing protesters and people uninvolved in the violence have also been killed. Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets have killed over 30 people.
The tensions have also spread to Gaza, where Hamas-linked activists held violent demonstrations along the Israeli border in recent weeks. Those demonstrations were halted in late September after international mediation.
كتائب القسام تطلق “طوفان الأقصى”: 22 قتيلا إسرائيليا ومئات الجرحى.. وآلاف الصواريخ وتسلل داخل إسرائيل وأسر جنود
وكالات/07 تشرين الأول/2023
غزة: أطلقت حركة المقاومة الفلسطينية “حماس” هجوما غير مسبوق، صباح السبت، ضد إسرائيل تحت اسم “طوفان الأقصى” تضمن إطلاق آلاف القذائف الصاروخية باتجاه إسرائيل وعمليات تسلل غير مسبوقة داخل الأراضي المحتلة، فيما اندلعت اشتباكات مسلحة بين فصائل فلسطينية وقوات من جيش الاحتلال، على الحدود الفاصلة بين شرقي قطاع غزة وإسرائيل. وأعلنت وسائل إعلام إسرائيلية مقتل 22 إسرائيليا وإصابة أكثر من 500 آخرين خلال العملية. وأعلنت كتائب عز الدين القسام الجناح المسلح لحركة “حماس” أسر “عدد من الجنود الإسرائيليين” خلال المعركة. جاء ذلك خلال مقطع فيديو نشرته “القسام” على صفحتها بمنصة “تلغرام”، أرفقته بتعليق: “عدد من جنود الاحتلال في قبضة القسام خلال معركة طوفان الأقصى”.
وظهر في مقطع الفيديو “ثلاثة أشخاص لا يرتدون الزي العسكري”، لكن القسام قالت إنهم من “الجنود الإسرائيليين”. وقالت إذاعة عبرية إن عدد الأسرى من الإسرائيليين وصل إلى 35.
وقالت كتائب عز الدين القسام، على لسان قائدها محمد الضيف في رسالة صوتية، إن القيادة “قررت وضع حد لكل جرائم الاحتلال، وانتهى الوقت الذي يعربد فيه دون محاسب”. وأضافت “نعلن بدء عملية (طوفان الأقصى) ونعلن أن الضربة الأولى التي استهدفت مواقع العدو وتحصيناته تجاوزت 5 آلاف صاروخ وقذيفة”، حسبما جاء على موقع تلفزيون الأقصى التابع للحركة.
وتداول ناشطون عبر مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي صورا ومقاطع فيديو تظهر دوي اشتباكات في هذه المناطق، وعمليات اقتحام للحدود من بينها “إنزال” لعناصر تتبع للفصائل الفلسطينية. وردا على ذلك، أعلن الجيش الإسرائيلي إطلاق عملية “السيوف الحديدية” ضد “حماس” في قطاع غزة، قائلا في بيان إن “طائراته بدأت شن غارات في عدة مناطق بالقطاع على أهداف تابعة لحماس”. من جهتها، قالت هيئة البث الإسرائيلي: “يدور حاليا تبادل لإطلاق النار بين المتسللين وجنود الجيش الإسرائيلي، وطلبت أجهزة الأمن من أهالي مدينة سديروت البقاء في بيوتهم بالقرب من الغرف المحصنة”. وقتل رئيس المجلس الإقليمي للمناطق الحدودية الإسرائيلية شمال شرق قطاع غزة خلال تبادل إطلاق النار مع “مسلحين قدموا من الأراضي الفلسطينية”، وفق ما أعلن المجلس. وقال المجلس الإقليمي “شاعر هنيغف” في بيان “قتل رئيس المجلس الإقليمي عوفير ليبشتاين” خلال تبادل إطلاق نار مع إرهابيين”. وأعلنت هيئة البث الإسرائيلية مقتل إسرائيلية تبلغ من العمر 70 عاما، و15 إصابة جراء صواريخ أطلقت من قطاع غزة.
وتم إطلاق صافرات الإنذار في المدن الإسرائيلية في وسط وجنوبي إسرائيل وفتح الملاجئ في العديد من المدن.
وتواصل فصائل فلسطينية إطلاق رشقاتها الصاروخية باتجاه المدن والبلدات الإسرائيلية، والتي بدأتها فجر السبت. كما أفاد شهود عيان بأن مسلحين من الفصائل أطلقوا النار تجاه زوارق لسلاح البحرية الإسرائيلية قبالة شاطئ قطاع غزة. وفي أعقاب ذلك، أعلنت وزارة التربية والتعليم وعدد من الجامعات في غزة تعليق الدوام حتى إشعار آخر. وذكر تقرير إخباري أن جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي بدأ منذ صباح اليوم السبت شن هجمات جوية في قطاع غزة. وقالت صحيفة “تايمز أوف إسرائيل” إن الهجمات تأتي بعد قرابة ساعتين على قيام حماس بشن هجوم مفاجئ. وتابعت الصحيفة أن وزير الدفاع الإسرائيلي يوآف غالانت وافق على استدعاء واسع النطاق للجنود الاحتياط عقب هجوم مفاجئ شنته حماس على إسرائيل. ومن جانبه، أكد متحدث باسم جيش الاحتلال إصابة منزل في تل أبيب خلال هجمات صاروخية من قطاع غزة. ولم يتضح في بادئ الأمر ما إذا كان هناك أي ضحايا أم لا.
“القسام” تنشر مقاطع مصورة لعناصرها داخل مواقع إسرائيلية
نشرت كتائب عز الدين القسام الجناح المسلح لحركة “حماس”، السبت، مقاطع مصورة تظهر عددا من عناصرها داخل مواقع وأراض إسرائيلية. وأوضحت الصور التي نشرتها “القسام” على منصة “تليغرام”، عددا من عناصرها يتجولون داخل مواقع عسكرية إسرائيلية. وقالت الكتائب في تعليقها على الصور: “إنها لقوات النخبة القسامية داخل الأراضي المحتلة ضمن معركة طوفان الأقصى”. ووثق مقطع فيديو نشرته “القسام” مشاهد “لاستيلاء عناصرها على كيبوتس (مجمع سكني صغير) وموقع كرم أبو سالم العسكري، جنوبي قطاع غزة”. وبحسب المقطع، يظهر مقاتلو “القسام” وهم يتجولون داخل الموقع، فيما يشير المقطع إلى مقتل عدة جنود إسرائيليين. ولم يصدر من سلطات الاحتلال الإسرائيلية تعقيب فوري حول الأمر. وفي وقت سابق، تداول نشطاء في قطاع غزة، صورا ومقاطع فيديو على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي تظهر “استيلاء” عناصر من الفصائل الفلسطينية ومواطنين على مركبات إسرائيلية واقتيادها إلى داخل أحياء سكنية.
وأفاد مراسل الأناضول بأن إحدى المركبات الإسرائيلية وصلت “ساحة الخلفاء في مخيم جباليا، شمالي قطاع غزة”. كما نشر الإعلامي والناشط الفلسطيني حسن اصليح مقطع فيديو وخلفه دبابة إسرائيلية تشتعل فيها النيران، قائلا إن “جميع من كان بداخلها تم اختطافهم من قبل عناصر القسام”.
طائرات حربية إسرائيلية تشن غارات على قطاع غزة
من جهته، أعلن جيش الاحتلال الإسرائيلي عن إطلاق عملية “السيوف الحديدية” ضد حماس في قطاع غزة.
وشنت طائرات الاحتلال غارات عدة على أهداف في قطاع غزة بعد إطلاق وابل من الصواريخ من القطاع نحو الأراضي المحتلة، وفق ما أفاد صحافيون في وكالة فرانس برس. وذكر جيش الاحتلال، في بيان، أنه منذ ساعات الصباح تم إطلاق نحو 2200 قذيفة وصاروخ نحو إسرائيل بالإضافة إلى عمليات تسلل إلى بعض المناطق والبلدات. وأوضح الجيش أنه تم استدعاء قوات كبيرة إلى منطقة الجنوب والإعلان عن حالة استثنائية في الجبهة الداخلية حتى 80 كلم إلى جانب الإعلان عن تجنيد عشرات الآلاف من جنود الاحتياط.
فيما أوردت الإذاعة الإسرائيلية العامة أن مقاتلي القسام أسروا 35 إسرائيليا على الأقل واقتادوهم إلى داخل قطاع غزة. وأعلنت القناة “12” الإسرائيلية، عن سقوط “5 قتلى جراء القذائف صاروخية”، فيما قالت هيئة البث العبرية الرسمية إن هناك “مخاوف من عمليات خطف جنود خلال المعارك مع المسلحين”.
ووفق مراسل الأناضول، تواصل فصائل فلسطينية إطلاق رشقاتها الصاروخية باتجاه المدن والبلدات الإسرائيلية، والتي بدأتها فجر السبت.
غالانت: “حماس” تشن حرباً على دولة إسرائيل
أ ف ب/07 تشرين الأول/2023
القدس: قال وزير الدفاع الإسرائيلي يوآف غالانت إن حركة حماس تشنّ “حرباً” على إسرائيل بعد إطلاقها وابلاً من الصواريخ، وتنفيذها سلسلة عمليات تسلل في “الأراضي الإسرائيلية”، السبت.وقال غالانت، في بيان: “حماس ارتكبت خطأ فادحاً هذا الصباح، وشنّت حرباً ضد دولة إسرائيل”، مؤكداً أن “قوات جيش الدفاع الإسرائيلي تقاتل العدو في كل مكان”.
حزب الله اللبناني: “طوفان الأقصى” رسالة إلى الساعين للتطبيع بأن قضية فلسطين حية حتى التحرير
د ب أ/07 تشرين الأول/2023
بيروت: قال حزب الله اللبناني، اليوم السبت، إن “قيادة المقاومة الإسلامية في لبنان تواكب التطورات الهامة على الساحة الفلسطينية عن كثب وتتابع الاوضاع الميدانية باهتمام بالغ، وهي على اتصال مباشر مع قيادة المقاومة الفلسطينية في الداخل والخارج وتجري معها تقييما متواصلا للأحداث وسير العمليات”. وبارك حزب الله، في بيان صحافي أوردته قناة المنار اللبنانية، عملية “طوفان الأقصى”، واعتبر أن هذه العملية رسالة للعالم العربي والإسلامي والمجتمع الدولي وخاصة الساعين للتطبيع أن قضية فلسطين حية حتى التحرير”، داعيا “حكومة العدو الصهيوني إلى قراءة العبر والدروس الهامة التي كرستها المقاومة الفلسطينية في الميدان وساحات المواجهة والقتال”. ودعا الحزب “شعوب أمتنا العربية والاسلامية والأحرار في العالم إلى إعلان التأييد والدعم للشعب الفلسطيني وحركات المقاومة التي تؤكد وحدتها الميدانية بالدم والقول والفعل”.وأكد أن “العملية تأكيد جديد على أن إرادة الشعب الفلسطيني وبندقية المقاومة هي الخيار الوحيد في مواجهة العدوان والاحتلال”.
نتنياهو: نحن في حالة حرب وليس عملية عسكرية-
الأناضول/07 تشرين الأول/2023
القدس: قال رئيس الوزراء الإسرائيلي بنيامين نتنياهو، السبت، “نحن في حالة حرب”. وقال في شريط فيديو، نشره على منصات التواصل الاجتماعي: “نحن في حالة حرب، ولسنا في عملية عسكرية”. وأضاف: “شنت حماس هجوما قاتلا مفاجئا ضد دولة إسرائيل ومواطنيها. لقد أمرت أولا وقبل كل شيء بتطهير التجمعات السكانية من (الإرهابيين) الذين تسللوا وأمرت بعملية كبيرة: تعبئة الاحتياطيات على نطاق واسع. وسيدفع العدو ثمنا غير مسبوق”.وقالت “هيئة البث الإسرائيلية” إن وزير الدفاع يؤاف غالانت صادق على استدعاء قوات احتياط بعد الإعلان عن الاستعدادات للتعامل مع الوضع كحالة حرب”.
هنية: المقاومة الفلسطينية تخوض ملحمة بطولية عنوانها الأقصى
د ب أ/07 تشرين الأول/2023
غزة: صرح إسماعيل هنية رئيس المكتب السياسي لحركة حماس، اليوم السبت، بأن “المقاومة الفلسطينية تخوض ملحمة بطولية عنوانها الأقصى والمقدسات”. وقال هنية، في بيان، إن السبب المركزي والأساس لما يجري “العدوان الإسرائيلي الإجرامي الذي تم على المسجد الأقصى وبلغ ذروته خلال الأيام الماضية”. وأشار هنية إلى قيام “الآلاف من المستوطنين المجرمين الفاشيين بتدنيس المسجد الأقصى وأداء صلواتهم فيه تمهيدًا لفرض السيادة الإسرائيلية عليه، وهي الخطوة التي كان لدينا المعلومات بأنه ذاهب نحوها بفرض السيادة على المسجد”. وأضاف: “لو سكت العالم ما كنا لنسكت على هذا التدنيس وعلى هذه النية للعدوان”. وتابع قائلا “نخوض معركة الشرف والمقاومة والكرامة للدفاع عن المسرى والأقصى تحت عنوان طوفان الأقصى، هذا الطوفان بدأ من غزة وسوف يمتد للضفة والخارج، وكل مكان يتواجد فيه شعبنا وأمتنا”. وأطلقت حماس هجوما غير مسبوق ضد إسرائيل تحت اسم “طوفان الأقصى” تضمن إطلاق آلاف القذائف الصاروخية باتجاه إسرائيل وعمليات تسلل غير مسبوقة داخل الأراضي الإسرائيلية.
أسر جنود إسرائيليين أحياء في غزة
وكالات/07 تشرين الأول/2023
“القدس العربي”: أظهرت مقاطع فيديو متداولة، اليوم السبت، لحظات أسر جنود إسرائيليين على قيد الحياة على حدود غزة. ويظهر مقطع جنديا على متن دراجة ويرافقه على ما يبدو عنصران من كتائب القسام، ضمن عملية “طوفان الأقصى”. فيما تظهر مقاطع أخرى جنودا آخرين أثناء عملية أسرهم.
وأعلنت كتائب عز الدين القسام الجناح المسلح لحركة “حماس” أسر “عدد من الجنود الإسرائيليين” خلال المعركة التي بدأتها فجر السبت وأطلقت عليها اسم “طوفان الأقصى”. جاء ذلك خلال مقطع فيديو نشرته “القسام” على صفحتها بمنصة “تلغرام”، أرفقته بتعليق: “عدد من جنود الاحتلال في قبضة القسام خلال معركة طوفان الأقصى”. وظهر في مقطع الفيديو “ثلاثة أشخاص لا يرتدون الزي العسكري”، لكن القسام قالت إنهم من “الجنود الإسرائيليين”.وقالت قناة عبرية إن عدد الأسرى من الإسرائيليين وصل إلى 35.
Netanyahu says Israel is ‘at war’ as Palestinian militants launch surprise air and ground attack from Gaza
CNN/October 07/2023
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that the country was “at war” on Saturday, after militants from Gaza fired a deadly barrage of rockets and sent gunmen into Israeli territory in a major escalation of the long running conflict between the two sides. “Citizens of Israel, we are at war – not in an operation, not in rounds – at war,” Netanyahu said in a video message. The early morning rocket attacks from Gaza, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) described as “massive,” left at least one person dead and over 100 injured, according to figures from two hospitals. Hamas, the Palestinian militant movement that runs Gaza, claimed responsibility for the rocket attack and called for a general uprising against Israel.
“If you have a gun, get it out. This is the time to use it – get out with trucks, cars, axes, today the best and most honorable history starts,” Hamas military commander Muhammad Al-Deif said in a recorded message.
Dubbing the operation “Al-Aqsa Storm,” he said that the group had “targeted the enemy positions, airports and military positions with 5,000 rockets” and that the assault on Israel was a response to attacks on women, the desecration of the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem and the ongoing siege of Gaza.
Israeli forces “are fighting on the ground as we speak,” IDF spokesperson Lt Col Richard Hecht said in a briefing on Saturday, listing at least half a dozen locations where fighting is taking place.
The locations include Erez Crossing, Nahal Oz, Magen, Kibbutz Beeri, Rehim Army Base, Ziikim Army base, Kfar Azza and Kibbutz Beeri.
The IDF said it was responding to the attack by striking “a number of targets belonging to the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip.”
Hecht also said that thousands of reservists will be called up from the IDF.
The IDF warned Israelis who live near Gaza to stay in their homes or head to shelters.
“In the last hour, the Hamas terrorist organization had begun a massive shooting of rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, and terrorists infiltrated into Israeli territory in a number of different locations,” the IDF said in a statement Saturday morning. Sirens warning of incoming rockets continued for at least three hours after the initial barrage. “The Hamas terrorist organization is the sovereign in the Gaza Strip and is responsible for this attack. It will face the consequences and responsibility for these events,” it added.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Israel was facing “a very difficult moment,” writing in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. “I wish to offer strength to the commanders and soldiers of the IDF, and to all the security forces and rescue services. I send my encouragement and strength to all the residents of Israel who are under attack,” he added.
CNN teams in Jerusalem heard rocket warning sirens and booms, likely the interceptions of incoming rockets, as sirens continued to sound around Israel. The first round of rockets was fired at about 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning local time (11:30 p.m. ET), when most Israelis are likely to have been asleep.
It is rare for Palestinian militants to be able to make it into Israel from Gaza which is sealed off and heavily watched by Israel’s miltary. Israel television Channel 12 reported that the infiltrators from Gaza had entered Kibbutz Beeri, saying that residents were urging the IDF to rush to the kibbutz.
Streaks of light are seen as Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from Ashkelon on Friday.
Why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is escalating
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 footage obtained by CNN showed multiple masked gunmen in a pickup truck driving down a street in the Israeli city of Sderot. Gunfire could also be heard in the video.
One woman died and at least 15 people were wounded across southern and lowland regions of Israel in the militant attacks, Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said a mid-morning update on Saturday.
MDA said the woman who was killed was in her 60s, revising her age down from 70s, which CNN had earlier reported.
Two people are in critical condition, six in moderate condition and seven have minor injuries, MDA said in a statement.
The MDA said teams “respond to areas of reported missile falls and live firing incidents,” and urged people to heed instruction from authorities and to carefully and promptly go to a protected area when an alarm sounds.
MDA spokesperson Zaki Heller also urged people to donate blood and said a special blood donation drive is being organized in Tel Aviv for Saturday morning “due to an urgent need.”
Palestinians set tires on fire during a demonstration against what they say are Israeli “violations” in Jerusalem at the Al Aqsa Mosque, in Gaza Strip on September 22, 2023.
Israel strikes Gaza targets after incendiary balloons sent across border
The rockets, which were witnessed by a CNN producer in Gaza, prompted sirens as far north as the Tel Aviv area, east to Beer Sheva, and many other locations in between.
Social media footage obtained by CNN showed the aftermath of a rocket strike in the coastal city of Ashkelon where multiple cars could be seen burning next to an apartment complex, a thick plume of black smoke billowing into the air.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are conducting security assessments at Israel Defense Forces headquarters in Tel Aviv, Netanyahu’s office said. Gaza is one of the most densely packed places in the world, an isolated coastal enclave of almost 2 million people crammed into 140 square miles.
Governed by Hamas, the territory is largely cut off 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 placed heavy restrictions on the freedom of civilian movement and controls the importation of basic goods into the narrow coastal strip.
Dozens killed, abducted in Hamas surprise attack
Ynetnews/October 07/2023
Gaza ruling terror group says taken Israeli hostages to Gaza as terrorists breach border and take over at least three southern communities, exchange fire with Israeli security forces; Roadblocks set up on highway leading to center, fearing more hostages
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday morning that Israel was “at war” after Gaza Strip terrorists launched a surprise attack on southern and central Israel. Police set up roadblocks on roads leading to the center of the country, out of concern that Gaza terrorists may have attempted to take hostages there.
The IDF called up a mass mobilization of reserve troops. Terrorists freely roamed, shooting indiscriminately, torching homes and allegedly taking civilians hostage. Hamas claims to have abducted Israeli soldiers and civilians, transporting them into the Palestinian enclave.
Israelis are believed to have been taken hostage in at least two communities near the Gaza border where IDF special forces laid siege. Hamas claims at least 35 Israelis were captured and transported into the Palestinian enclave. At least 130 wounded, some in critical condition, arrived at Soroka Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.
The IDF reported that from 6:30 on Saturday morning, 2,200 rockets were launched into Israel, as terrorists infiltrated across the Gaza border via land, sea and air gliders.
The military declared a war alert. Hamas in Gaza initiated the assault with an intensive rocket barrage targeting southern and central Israel, including Tel Aviv and other metropolitan areas. This was followed by multiple breaches of the Gaza border and infiltrations into southern Israeli communities.
Terrorists reportedly infiltrated the Sderot police station, sparking an ongoing gun battle. Residents posted videos depicting a pick-up truck carrying around a dozen armed men, driving through the city and firing indiscriminately in all directions.
Social media posts from Gaza depict hundreds of Hamas forces reportedly pouring into Israel. Homes in Netiv Haasara were torched by terrorists who are holding residents hostage, encountering only local security squads and no military presence. Israeli media reports residents have expressed feelings of abandonment.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has called for an urgent consultation with security services at the military headquarters in Tel Aviv and instructed the military to call up reserves as attacks continued.
Within minutes, dozens of rocket barrages targeted cities in the south and center, as well as the Sharon Plain, taking Israel by surprise as the heavy fire continued.
Dozens of rockets were launched toward Tel Aviv and its surrounding areas and as far north as Herzlia, within a span of 15 minutes as residents were called to enter shelters and protected areas.
Mohammed Deif, the shadowy leader of Hamas’s military wing, placed the responsibility for the combined attack on Israel and its “desecration of Al-Aqsa.”
“We warned the enemy,” he said in a rare statement. “They attacked the Islamic movement and desecrated al-Aqsa.” In his statement, Daf announced that Hamas had launched a military operation that he called the Al-Aqsa Storm.
Deif, who rarely speaks publicly, called on the terrorists who infiltrated the settlements surrounding Gaza, “Carry out your attacks on the settlements with all the means and tools at your disposal.” He added, “Today everyone who has a rifle should take it out. It’s their time, and each of you should go out with your truck, vehicle or ax. Today, a new history has opened, a brighter and more honorable history.”
The Hamas military leader also called on the Israeli Arabs to act against Israel. He claimed that the initial strike by Hamas, which he said was aimed at “enemy positions, airports and military installations”, included more than 5,000 rockets and shells.
Media reports indicate terrorist squads have infiltrated at least five locations along the border, including Kibbutz Be’eri. Armed terrorists were spotted within the community, and residents, calling for help, expressed feeling abandoned as security forces reportedly did not respond to their pleas.
The U.S. condemned the “indiscriminate actions against Israeli civilians” by Hamas terrorists. Chargé d’affaires Stephanie Hallett said she is in contact with Israeli authorities and affirmed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorism.
First Israeli victim of Hamas infiltration is named
The Telegraph/Sat, October 7, 2023
The head of a regional council for Israeli border areas northeast of the Gaza Strip has been killed in a firefight with Hamas militants from the Palestinian territory, the council has said. “The president of the regional council, Ofir Liebstein, was killed during an exchange of fire with terrorists,” the Shaar Negev regional council said in a statement. Mr. Liebstein is the first victim to be identified. On Saturday morning, armed gunmen reportedly infiltrated Israeli communities after crossing the border fence. The centre and south of Israel have been under sustained rocket fire. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has declared his country is at “war.” Hamas has so far taken 35 Israeli hostages, according to Israeli media. At least five Israelis are thought to have been killed, and at least 100 more injured. The Israeli authorities have not confirmed a death or hostage toll.
Israel at war: 22 dead, Hamas claims kidnapped Israelis…Hundreds of Israelis injured in Hamas rocket assault from Beersheba to Jerusalem
Israeli Air Force targets Hamas in Gaza Strip
JERUSALEM (AP)/JERUSALEM (AP)/October 7, 2023
Israel’s national rescue service says at least 22 people have been killed and hundreds wounded in a Hamas military incursion on Saturday morning.
The ruling Hamas militant group in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented, multi-front attack on Israel at daybreak Saturday, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of Hamas fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations by air, land and sea and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
Six hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country.
Social media was replete with videos of Hamas fighters parading what appeared to be stolen Israeli military vehicles through the streets and at least one dead Israeli soldier within Gaza being dragged and trampled by an angry crowd of Palestinians shouting “God is Great.” The military declined to give details about casualties or kidnappings as it continued to battle the infiltrators.
“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass mobilization of the country’s army reserves. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.”
“The enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” he added, promising that Israel would “return fire of a magnitude that the enemy has not known.”
The serious invasion on Simchat Torah, a normally joyous day when Jews complete the annual cycle of reading the Torah scroll, revived painful memories of the 1973 Mideast war practically 50 years to the day, in which Israel’s enemies launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.
Comparisons to one of the most traumatic moments in Israeli history sharpened criticism of Netanyahu and his far-right allies, who had campaigned on more aggressive action against threats from Gaza. Political commentators lambasted the government over its failure to anticipate what appeared to be a Hamas attack unseen in its level of planning and coordination.
The Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom reported at least 16 casualties, including a woman in her 60s who was killed when a rocket fired from Gaza made a direct hit. Two others were in serious condition.
There were reports of many more casualties on both sides, but authorities did not immediately release details. Israeli media reported that dozens of people were hospitalized in southern Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported injuries among “many citizens” without giving numbers and loudspeakers on mosques broadcast prayers of mourning for killed militants.
The Israeli military struck targets in Gaza in response for some 2,500 rockets that sent air raid sirens wailing constantly as far north as Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) away. It said its forces were engaged in gunfights with Hamas militants who had infiltrated Israel in at least seven locations. The fighters had sneaked across the separation fence and even invaded Israel through the air with paragliders and by sea, the army said.
It was not immediately clear what prompted Hamas to launch its attack, which came after weeks of simmering tensions along the Gaza frontier. The shadowy leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced the start of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.”
“Enough is enough,” Deif, who does not appear in public, said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight. “Today the people are regaining their revolution.”
In a televised address, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned that Hamas had made “a grave mistake” and promised that “the state of Israel will win this war.”
The attack comes at a time of historic division within Israel over Netanyahu’s proposal to overhaul the judiciary. Mass protests over the plan have sent hundreds thousands of Israeli demonstrators into the streets and prompted hundreds military reservists to avoid volunteer duty — turmoil that has raised fears over the military’s battlefield readiness and raised concerns about its deterrence over its enemies.
The infiltration of fighters into southern Israel marked a major accomplishment — and escalation — by Hamas that forced millions of Israelis to hunker down in safe rooms, sheltering from rocket explosions and ongoing gunbattles with Hamas fighters. Cities and towns emptied as the military closed roads near Gaza. Israel’s rescue service and the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza appealed to the public to donate blood.
“We understand that this is something big,” Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, an Israeli army spokesman, told reporters. He said the Israeli military had called up the army reserves.
Hecht declined to comment on how Hamas had managed to catch the army off guard. “That’s a good question,” he said.
Ismail Haniyeh, the exiled leader of Hamas, said that Palestinian fighters were “engaged in these historic moments in a heroic operation” to defend the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the thousands of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
In the kibbutz of Nahal Oz, just 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Gaza Strip, terrified residents who were huddled indoors said they could hear constant gunfire echoing off the buildings as firefights continued even hours after the initial attack.
“With rockets we somehow feel safer, knowing that we have the Iron Dome (missile defense system) and our safe rooms. But knowing that terrorists are walking around communities is a different kind of fear,” said Mirjam Reijnen, a 42-year-old volunteer firefighter and mother of three in Nahal Oz.
Israel has built a massive fence along the Gaza border meant to prevent infiltrations. It goes deep underground and is equipped with cameras, high-tech sensors and sensitive listening technology.
The escalation comes after weeks of heightened tensions along Israel’s volatile border with Gaza, and heavy fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It also comes at a delicate time for Netanyahu’s far-right government, with hundreds of soldiers in the military reserves have either pulling out of training sessions or promising they won’t report for duty over government’s deeply divisive plan to weaken the Supreme Court.
The divisions within army ranks have threatened to undermine Netanyahu’s reputation as a security expert who would do anything to protect Israel and the cohesion of an institution crucial to the stability of a country locked in low-intensity conflicts on multiple fronts and facing threats from Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group.
Hezbollah congratulated Hamas on Friday, praising the attack as a response to “Israeli crimes” and saying the militants had “divine backing.” The group said its command in Lebanon was in contact with Hamas about the operation.
Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The bitter enemies have fought four wars since then. There have also been numerous rounds of smaller fighting between Israel and Hamas and other smaller militant groups based in Gaza.
The blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, has devastated the territory’s economy. Israel says the blockade is needed to keep militant groups from building up their arsenals. The Palestinians say the closure amounts to collective punishment.
The rocket fire comes during a period of heavy fighting in the West Bank, where nearly 200 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli military raids this year. In the volatile northern West Bank, scores of militants and residents poured into the streets in celebration at the news of the rocket barrages. Israel says the raids are aimed at militants, but stone-throwing protesters and people uninvolved in the violence have also been killed. Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets have killed over 30 people.
The tensions have also spread to Gaza, where Hamas-linked activists held violent demonstrations along the Israeli border in recent weeks. Those demonstrations were halted in late September after international mediation.
Videos show Hamas fighters attacking Israel using motorized paragliders amid a wave of surprise attacks
Alia Shoaib/Business Insider/October 07, 2023
Hamas launched an unprecented attack on Israel on Saturday by the “land, sea and air,” the IDF said.
Videos appear to show Hamas fighters entering Israel using paragliders.
Israel declared a state of war following the surprise attack.
Videos appear to show Hamas fighters attacking Israel using motorized paragliders amid an unprecedented wave of surprise raids by the Palestinian militant group on Saturday.
Fighters appear to have crossed the border from Gaza into southern Israel, where there have been reports of gunmen opening fire and clashes in the street, per Reuters.
Videos filmed using mobile phones show Hamas fighters flying in, and Hamas later published video footage of their fighters training on the paragliders.
An IDF spokesperson said Hamas fighters had infiltrated from “land, sea and air,” per The Times of Israel. He said more than 2,200 rockets had been fired into Israel, while Hamas claimed over 5,000 rockets were fired. According to the paper, there are at least seven sites where fighting is taking place between Hamas and IDF troops.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “We are at war,” and said Israel “will win” in a video message. Israel declared a state of war, and the IDF told civilians in southern and central Israel to stay close to shelters and those near the Gaza Strip to remain inside shelters. At least 22 Israelis have been killed and over 300 wounded
Hamas published video footage of their fighters taking off on the paragliders. Hamas published video footage of their fighters training on the paragliders.Hamas. Israeli forces said that the air force was responding by attacking targets in the Gaza Strip.
At least 22 Israelis have died, and over 300 have been injured, Israel’s N12 news channel reported. Reports have emerged suggesting that Hamas had kidnapped some IDF soldiers, with unverified photos and videos circulating on social media. Hamas military commander Mohammed Deif said in a statement, per Haaretz: “We warned the enemy not to continue his aggression against the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
He also called on Palestinians in the West Bank and within the Green Line to attack “without restraint,” in a rare statement. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is an important religious site in Jerusalem, which is often the site of clashes. Hundreds of Israelis entered the compound earlier this week.
‘We are at war,’ Israel’s Netanyahu says as Hamas launches surprise multi-front attack
Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY/October 7, 2023
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “We are at war, and we will win it,” after dozens of gunmen from the Palestinian militant group Hamas infiltrated southern Israel from the Gaza Strip on Saturday in a surprise major attack that coincided with a holiday and the 50th anniversary of the start of the 1973 Yom Kippur war. “We are at war,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.”Netanyahu was speaking in a video address from the headquarters of the Israel Defense Forces in Tel Aviv as the country’s air force began striking targets in Gaza, a Palestinian territory on the Mediterranean Sea.Overnight and into the morning, Hamas militants launched thousands of rockets into Israel. There were reports of casualties on both sides, but authorities did not immediately release details. Israeli media reported that dozens of people were hospitalized in southern Israel. The Palestinian Health Ministry reported injuries among “many citizens” without giving numbers. Loudspeakers in mosques broadcast prayers of mourning for killed militants. Air raids sounded in Jerusalem, while explosions were heard in Tel Aviv.
“We have begun a wide mobilization of reservists for all IDF units, Rear. Admiral Daniel Hagari, a spokesperson for the IDF, said of Israel’s military operation, which it has named “Swords of Iron.”The attack appears to have caught Israel off-guard on the Jewish holiday, Simchat Torah. It has also revived memories of the 1973 war, in which Israel’s enemies launched a surprise attack on Yom Kippur.
