AWhen many Israelis woke up on Saturday morning, their country was at war. The Islamist organization Hamas launched a massive surprise attack. Without warning, the extremists fired thousands of rockets into Israeli cities early in the morning from the sealed-off Gaza Strip, which they controlled. The sirens also wailed in Jerusalem.
The Israeli military announced a few hours after the rocket fire began that terrorists had advanced into Israeli territory. Apparently dozens of heavily armed fighters had infiltrated the region around the Gaza Strip and entered Israeli towns. The images and videos that emerged from the combat zone since early morning gave a first impression of the chaos that must have reigned there in the early hours of the attack.
“We understand this is a big deal”
Arabic television channels showed footage of celebrated Hamas fighters returning to Gaza with hostages. The images also showed civilians killed on Israeli streets, as well as soldiers and people in Israel killed and kidnapped, looking in panic at the terror squads. A propaganda image purportedly showing a burning Israeli tank was also distributed. The Israeli army did not want to comment on these reports for the time being. But the spokesman said: “We understand this is a big deal.”
An Israeli army spokesman told reporters that the gunmen entered Israel “by land, by kite and by sea.” Fighting is underway around the Gaza Strip. Armed Palestinians entered eight places, including two military bases.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message from the military headquarters in Tel Aviv: “Citizens of Israel, we are at war.” The country was officially put on war alert, and Israel called its military operation “Swords of Iron.”
Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif said on his own radio that it was a “military operation” whose code name “Flood Aqsa” was aimed at the symbolic Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which is repeatedly the subject of violent confrontation between Israelis and Palestinians. “This is the day of the greatest battle,” Deif said. “The enemy will realize that the time for his rampage without accountability is over.”
A Hamas official in the West Bank also called on Palestinians to take up arms. “We all have to fight this battle,” he said. The terrorist group Palestinian Islamic Jihad is also involved in the attack.
“The State of Israel will win this war.”
Israeli Defense Minister Joav Gallant said on television that Hamas “made a grave mistake this morning and started a war against the State of Israel.” The armed forces would “fight the enemy anywhere,” he said, adding: “The State of Israel will win this war.” The country was officially put on war alert.
The Israeli counterattack was expected to be very strong. According to reports from Israeli observers, the surprise attack could be followed by weeks of war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the security cabinet together for an emergency meeting. The army began mobilizing tens of thousands of reservists. The first air strikes were carried out on targets in Gaza in the morning.
Initially, official Israeli reports mentioned only one woman killed and more than 120 injured in the rocket attacks. Media later reported at least 22 dead and 70 seriously injured. They referred to the Magen David Adom rescue service. Further reports, citing several treating hospitals, said that around 200 people were injured.
From the camp of the protest movement against the highly controversial judicial reform pursued by the Netanyahu government there were calls for reservists to refrain from refusing to serve in protest in view of the threat. The Magen David Adom rescue service called for blood donations.
The major Palestinian attack brings back memories of the 1973 war against Egypt. At that time, Israel was attacked on the Yom Kippur holiday. The fact that the country was caught unprepared is still a trauma today. The current attack also took place on a public holiday, and the government has to face questions about why this war is also breaking out in a shocked, unprepared country.
At least the rhetoric of Israel’s enemies had recently intensified. The Palestinian groups allied with the Iranian regime and the Lebanese Shiite organization Hezbollah had repeatedly claimed that the enemy was torn and weakened by the internal conflicts. They had also increased their collaboration. In the recent past, there have been several meetings between Palestinian militants and Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital, at which, according to intelligence reports, Iranian representatives were also present.
So on Saturday morning the question arose not only about the extent of an Israeli counterattack, but also about the expansion of the conflict on other fronts. On the border with Lebanon, tensions and provocations from Hezbollah had recently increased noticeably. Actually, the Shiite organization loyal to Iran does not want any new armed conflict with Israel. But there are ways to do needlesticks without exposing yourself too much. Rocket fire from Lebanon, for example, carried out anonymously or under the Palestinian banner.