According to the military, Israeli attack helicopters have attacked targets in Lebanon. Armed people are said to have crossed the border into Israel from there. Several people have apparently been injured in Hamas rocket fire in the Jerusalem area.
Israel’s army says it has attacked targets in Lebanon with helicopter gunships. Soldiers had previously shot several armed suspects who had advanced into Israel from its northern neighbor. According to Israeli media reports, there were exchanges of fire. Israeli television reported that residents in the north of the country had been ordered to stay in shelters.
The Shiite organization Hezbollah, which is closely allied with Iran, denied involvement in the incident, to which Israel responded by shelling targets in the south of the neighboring country. Security circles in Lebanon suspect that Palestinian militants are behind the attack on Israel. On Sunday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for rocket fire from southeast Lebanon into the Israeli border area.
According to military reports, Israel has attacked targets in Lebanon.
Attacks in Israel, counterattacks in the Gaza Strip
Meanwhile, the terrorist militia Hamas continued its attacks on Israel. Several people are said to have been injured in several rocket hits on towns in the surrounding area of Jerusalem. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz put the number of injured at ten, including two seriously injured.
Accordingly, a rocket hit Har Adar, 15 kilometers west of Jerusalem. Another hit the neighboring Arab town of Abu Gosh and another in the Israeli settlement of Betar Illit, around ten kilometers southwest of Jerusalem. “Haaretz” also reported another impact in the Israeli settlement block “Gush Etzion” southwest of Jerusalem with four people injured, one of them seriously.
At around the same time, Hamas said a rocket had been fired at Jerusalem in response to the bombing of civilians’ homes in Gaza. The sirens also sounded in Tel Aviv.
Apparently none for the time being Prisoner exchange
A possible prisoner exchange was rejected by both Israel and Hamas. An Israeli official told Reuters there were no negotiations at the moment.
A representative of the Hamas politburo also initially ruled out a prisoner exchange with Israel after previous reports to the contrary. “The military operation is ongoing, so there is currently no chance for negotiations on the issue of prisoners or anything else,” Hamas representative Hossam Badran based in Doha told AFP.
Israeli Army: Regained control of locations
The Israeli army has now announced that it has regained control of the areas in southern Israel that were attacked by Hamas. However, terrorists could still be in the region, according to army spokesman Daniel Hagari.
In the morning, the Israeli army initially reported “between seven and eight” open battle sites in the border area with the Gaza Strip where fighting was continuing. He said he could not rule out the possibility of more militants penetrating Israeli territory.
The military is currently trying to secure the border fence, which has been breached in several places, reports ARD correspondent Sophie von der Tann from Tel Aviv. It is assumed that 800 to 1,000 militant Palestinians have penetrated the border fence in the past few days, reports von der Tann.
300,000 reservists mobilized
In response to Hamas attacks, the Israeli army is mobilizing around 300,000 reservists. This is the largest mobilization in Israeli history in such a short period of time, an army spokesman confirmed.
During the night, a spokesman for the Israeli armed forces said that the goal was to ensure that at the end of the war, Hamas would no longer be able to threaten Israelis militarily. At the same time, it will be ensured that Hamas can no longer rule the Gaza Strip.
Air strikes on Gaza Strip – many civilian casualties
In response to the attack, Israel continues to bomb Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip. According to the Israeli military, more than 1,000 targets in the Gaza Strip have been hit as a result of the offensive, including homes of Hamas terrorists. At the same time, several Hamas command centers were attacked, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
According to the assessment of ARD correspondent from the Tann More and more civilians are dying due to the dense population in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian Health Ministry said at least 560 people were killed in Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip. At least 78 children and 41 women were killed. Around 2,900 people were injured.
Closure of the Gaza Strip
In addition, the densely populated Palestinian area is to be completely sealed off until further notice. Israel’s Defense Minister Joav Galant said he had given instructions to that effect. “There will be no electricity, no food and no fuel,” said Galant. We are dealing with barbarians and will act accordingly. The Israeli security cabinet had already decided on Sunday night to fundamentally stop the import of electricity, fuel and goods into the Gaza Strip.
More than 800 people killed in Israel
According to the government press office, around 800 people have died on the Israeli side so far. These included mainly civilians and more than 40 soldiers. At least 260 people died in an attack by Hamas terrorists at a music festival in the Negev Desert alone. In total, more than 2,600 other people suffered injuries, the government said.
According to the Israeli government, Hamas has also abducted at least 150 people from Israel to the Gaza Strip since the attacks began, including women, children and the elderly. According to information from the Foreign Office, there are also German citizens among the hostages. According to Hamas, the hostages will be released if thousands of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel are released in return.
Evacuation of citizens, warnings against traveling in the region
More and more countries are now removing their citizens from Israel. Romania flew 245 of its citizens out of Tel Aviv. This also includes two groups of pilgrims. This was announced by the Romanian Foreign Ministry.
Poland flew out almost 300 citizens in three military planes that landed in Warsaw in the morning. “The first people evacuated from Israel are already in Poland,” said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak in the online service X. In addition, an armed forces Boeing plane is on its way to Israel “to evacuate more people,” added Blaszczak.
Airlines such as Lufthansa, United Airlines and Air France have temporarily suspended all flights to and from Israel. In addition, several countries have tightened their travel warnings for Israel and the Palestinian territories.