Hamas has attacked Israel from the air, by sea and by land – killing many Israelis and taking hostages. Hundreds of terrorists are apparently still fighting in Israel. There was another rocket alarm in Tel Aviv in the evening.
Hamas’ massive attack apparently came as a surprise to Israel – and the situation is still largely confusing. Since early Saturday morning, Palestinian militants have fired more than 3,000 rockets from the Gaza Strip into Israel. In addition, numerous terrorists managed to penetrate Israel by land, sea and air. According to the Israeli army, Hamas continues to engage in fierce fighting with soldiers in almost two dozen locations. According to army spokesman Richard Hecht, there are still hundreds of terrorists on Israeli soil.
The terrorists apparently managed to take several Israelis hostage. An Israeli army spokesman said Hamas had “captured a substantial number of Israeli soldiers and officers.” There are also pictures on social media of civilians who have apparently been taken hostage – there is no confirmation of this yet. There is a “serious hostage-taking situation in Beeri and also in Ofakim,” said army spokesman Hecht. The two places are near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip
There is currently no official information on the number of deaths. At least 200 people were killed and more than 1,100 injured, several Israeli media reported, citing medical sources – including the Israeli rescue service Zaka.
Death in the Gaza Strip after counterattack
Israel’s government responded to Hamas’ massive attacks by announcing counter-strikes. The first targets in the Gaza Strip have already been attacked with dozens of fighter jets, a spokesman said. 17 military installations and four command centers of the Islamist Hamas were attacked. According to the AFP news agency, there were at least nine deaths. The Palestinian authorities, on the other hand, report more than 242 deaths in the Gaza Strip and almost 1,700 injuries.
Israel also stops electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. Israeli Energy Minister Israel Katz said he had signed an order to this effect. The Palestinian territory has so far imported up to 120 megawatts of electricity from the Israeli state-owned energy supplier.
Gaza Strip
The attack on Israel
Missile alert in the Tel Aviv area
Meanwhile, Hamas continued its attacks on Israel. In the evening there was another rocket alarm in the greater Tel Aviv area and other cities. Several people were injured in the attacks, three of them seriously, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service. It was initially unclear whether the people were injured in the attacks themselves or while fleeing. Israeli media reported, citing the fire department, that a building in Tel Aviv was hit by rockets and collapsed. Two people were rescued.
Numerous explosions were heard over the coastal metropolis, most of which were probably triggered by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system. Previously, warning sirens wailed in several cities across the country.
Hamas was able to cross barriers
In the morning, armed terrorists from Gaza entered Israeli towns such as the 30,000-inhabitant city of Sderot. It is two kilometers from the border. A video shows fighters standing on a balcony. Terrorists ring doorbells, people lie shot dead on the ground at a bus stop. A woman reports in fear as she waits for help in the bunker with her husband and child.
It is unclear how the militants were able to penetrate Israel despite strict border controls. Army spokesman Richard Hecht said that, among other things, gliders were used.
Israel has built a massive fence along the border with Gaza to prevent infiltration. It also runs deep underground and is equipped with cameras, high-tech sensors and sensitive listening technology. The fact that Hamas has overcome the barriers is a great success for it.
“We are at war”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message from military headquarters in Tel Aviv: “Citizens of Israel, we are at war.” The country was officially put on war alert. This enables the army, for example, to mobilize reservists, which Defense Minister Joav Galant has already approved.
The attack came on the Jewish holiday of Simchat Torah, the last in a series of festivals, and appears to have caught Israel by surprise, reminiscent of the start of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when Egypt and Syria initially caught Israel by surprise.
Hamas speaks of “Military operation”
The militant Islamist Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, declared the start of a “military operation” against Israel this morning. It was decided to put an end to Israeli “crimes,” said military chief Mohammed Deif. “So the enemy will understand that the time to rage without being held accountable is over. We announce the start of Operation ‘Al Aqsa Flood’.” He spoke of 5,000 rockets fired. Deif also called on Israeli Palestinians and Arab populations beyond Israel’s borders to take part in the attacks on Israel.
The head of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, announced that he wanted to expand the fight from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank and Jerusalem.
According to its own information, the Palestinian militia “Islamic Jihad” is also involved in the attacks.
Always clashes
The situation in the Palestinian territories, especially in the occupied West Bank, had recently become more dire again. Four Palestinians have been killed there since Thursday in their own attacks or in confrontations with the Israeli army.
There have been several violent protests at the Gaza border in the past month. Explosive devices were also thrown at soldiers and several Palestinians were injured by gunfire. The Israeli Air Force repeatedly attacked Hamas posts in the Gaza Strip in response to the incidents.
According to the UN, more than two million people live in very poor conditions in the Gaza Strip. Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU, USA and Israel, violently seized sole power in 2007. Israel then tightened a blockade of the coastal area, which Egypt supported.
With information from Jan-Christoph Kitzler and Bettina Meier, ARD Tel Aviv