The radical Islamic Palestinian group Hamas has launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. 5,000 rockets were fired, said senior Hamas commander Mohammed Deif on the organization’s radio. “This is the day of the greatest battle,” he said. In order to put an end to Israeli crimes, Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip, has begun a “military operation” against Israel.
In response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli Air Force fired on targets in the Gaza Strip, an Israeli army spokesman confirmed. Israel Defense Forces called on people in neighboring areas to stay in their homes. Alarm sirens wailed in Jerusalem and other parts of the country and, according to emergency services, a woman was killed. 15 other people were injured. Israel is currently celebrating the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah). Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet senior security service officials in the coming hours, his office said.
According to the army, several armed Palestinians have also entered Israeli territory. The terrorists called on residents of border towns on the edge of the coastal strip to stay in their homes, the Israeli military said.
Eyewitnesses reported exchanges of gunfire on the street. It was unclear how the attackers from the Gaza Strip were able to overcome the strictly protected border. Among other things, a video circulating on social media showed a hang glider. However, this could not initially be independently verified.
Attack surprising despite a tense situation
Immediately after the new rocket attacks, Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant approved the mobilization of reservists. A Defense Ministry spokeswoman said on Saturday that this should happen “according to the needs of the Israeli army.”
The massive attack from the Gaza Strip was unexpected. However, the situation, particularly in the occupied West Bank, had recently worsened again. Four Palestinians have been killed there since Thursday in their own attacks or in confrontations with the army.
The security situation in Israel and the West Bank has long been tense. Since the beginning of the year, 27 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed in attacks. During the same period, more than 200 Palestinians died in Israeli military operations, confrontations or after their own attacks. 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. In light of the incidents, the Israeli air force repeatedly attacked posts of the militant Palestinian organization Hamas, which rules in the Gaza Strip.
Israel conquered the West Bank and East Jerusalem in 1967. The Palestinians claim these areas for an independent state of Palestine with the Arab-dominated eastern part of Jerusalem as its capital. 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.