Following a surprise onslaught by Hamas, Israel and Gaza are at war.
After the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched an unexpected large-scale offensive against Israel on Saturday, shooting thousands of missiles from Gaza and dispatching fighters to kill and kidnap troops and civilians, gun engagements continued far into the night.
Israel and Gaza at war
Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, said to the shocked country, “We are at war,” as the army replied by hammering targets in the blockaded enclave, where numerous residential tower blocks were left to ruins.Medical services said that some 80 people died in Israel, while 232 people died in Gaza. Both sides reportedly sustained numerous injuries in the deadliest flare-up in years.”The enemy will pay a price never before paid,”
Netanyahu made a promise after Hamas started its first-ever all-out ground, air, and sea onslaught, 50 years after the start of the Arab-Israeli War in 1973.
President Joe Biden expressed “rock solid and unwavering” support for the American ally and issued a warning “against any other party hostile to Israel seeking advantage in this situation” as the world’s anxiety increased and the United Nations Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Sunday.
In a continuing operation known as “Swords of Iron,” the Israeli army reported that as night fell, its forces were still involved in live gun fights in 22 places throughout Israel. Reservists were being called up.
Get TikTok SEO Cheat here
According to army spokesman Richard Hecht, there are still 22 areas where we are battling terrorists who entered Israel via the sea, the land, and the air. He described the operation as a “robust ground invasion.”
A second Israeli army official, Daniel Hagari, confirmed that “there are kidnapped soldiers and civilians” after Hamas released photographs of many captured Israelis.
I’m not able to provide specific numbers at this time. Hamas committed a war crime, and they will pay for it.
The settlements of Beeri and Ofakim in the Negev desert, east of Gaza, Hecht claimed, were also experiencing a “serious hostage situation.”
Read also: How to Handle Differences for a Successful Relationship: A Comprehensive Guide
“So many corpses”
Around 6:30 am (0330 GMT), the Islamist group launched the multi-pronged assault with thousands of rockets, some of which missed the Iron Dome defense system and struck buildings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
In boats, motorized paragliders, and land vehicles, Hamas fighters broke through the perimeter fence enclosing Gaza and launched attacks on surrounding Israeli communities and military outposts, opening fire on civilians and bystanders.
As terrorists outside opened fire and attempted to storm into their safe room, an Israeli woman hiding with her two-year-old toddler reportedly cried, “Send help, please!” according to Israeli media.
In the Israeli town of Sderot, which is close to Gaza, bodies were spotted laying on the streets as well as inside vehicles with their windscreens shattered by showers of bullets.
Standing next to covered bodies on a road near the Gevim Kibbutz in southern Israel, one guy told AFP, “I saw many bodies, of terrorists and civilians.”
Hamas attack shocks Israel, but what comes next?
There is a significant problem when Palestinian militants abduct Israeli soldiers and civilians, hoping to use them as human shields or negotiating chips.
IDF spokesman Rear Adm Daniel Hagari stated, “We are working to recover control of the area, hitting widely and paying particular attention to the area near the Gaza Strip. “We will do a very sharp and thorough review.”
The intelligence and security apparatus in Israel will undoubtedly be wondering how it failed to predict this move and how it was unable to stop its severe effects, even though a thorough examination may be some time off.