07 October 2023 , 21:36
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Israel declared war on Hamas yesterday after the Palestinian militants launched a massive surprise attack.
Dozens of its fighters crossed the heavily fortified border at daybreak, gunning down soldiers and civilians and taking dozens hostage. Last night there were reports of elderly people and young women being snatched off the streets and bundled into military vehicles by Hamas soldiers. Video released by Hamas showed some swooping in on paragliders. They were backed by a barrage of over 2,500 rockets, some reaching the capital of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Hamas took captives back into the coastal enclave of Gaza, including women, children and the elderly. At the same time, Israel's retaliation strikes levelled buildings in Gaza and its prime minister said the country was at war. Israeli media, citing rescue service officials, said at least 300 people were killed, including 26 soldiers.
At least 250 people were killed in Gaza and civilians paid a staggering cost for the violence on both sides. Israeli TV news aired a stream of accounts from the relatives of captive or missing Israelis, who wailed and begged for assistance amid a fog of uncertainty surrounding the fate of their loved ones. In Gaza, residents fled their homes to find refuge from the onslaught of Israeli strikes, fleeing the border area after warnings from the Israeli military, and sheltering in schools.
Among the 256 killed in Gaza were 20 children, and close to 1,800 wounded, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. Israeli media said at least 300 people were killed and 1,500 wounded in Saturday's attack, making it the deadliest in Israel in decades.
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A hostage is driven away (AP)Hamas claimed it had captured 53 “prisoners of war” including senior army officers. Israel said at least 150 of its people have been killed and more than 1,800 injured, with dozens in critical condition. Retaliatory air strikes killed 232 and injured 1,790 in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials. Israel said it had targeted tower blocks and other buildings housing Hamas fighters. But aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres said the strikes hit hospitals, killing a nurse and an ambulance driver. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hamas would “pay a price that it hasn’t known until now”.
The fighters move towards the border fence (AFP via Getty Images)“We are at war,” he said in a TV address. “Not an ‘operation’, not a ‘round’, but at war.” He ordered the military to clear infiltrated towns of Hamas militants locked in gunfights with soldiers. The latest attack, following weeks of simmering tensions, was described by experts as the most ambitious Hamas has ever launched and the most serious Israel has faced for more than a generation. And it was launched in the wake of months of massive demos against Netanyahu’s hardline rule.
A fireball in Gaza City (AFP via Getty Images)Hundreds of reservists have avoided volunteer duty in protest, raising fears over the Israeli military’s battlefield readiness. Hamas’ military wing leader, Mohammed Deif, announced what he termed “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm”. “Enough is enough,” he said, as he called on Palestinians from east Jerusalem to northern Israel to join the fight.
“Today the people are regaining their revolution.” Tonight Israel said it would cut off the electricity supply to Gaza, which it mainly controls. A video showed a high-rise building in Gaza City collapse after being hit by an explosion.
Hamas have fired 2,500 rockets (ABIR SULTAN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)In the UK, both PM Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Keir Starmer said Israel had a right to defend itself. Mr Starmer added: “I utterly condemn the ongoing attacks on Israel and her citizens. There is no justification for this act of terror which is being perpetrated by those who seek to undermine any chance for future peace in the region.”
The White House said it “unequivocally condemns this appalling assault by Hamas terrorists”. The EU’s foreign policy chief called for the immediate release of Israeli hostages. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “Israel’s right to self-defence cannot be questioned”.