Terrorists infiltrate, thousands of rockets fired
Hamas terrorists have launched a surprise attack on Israel, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring the country is at war.
(TIMES OF ISRAEL) Palestinian terrorists in the Gaza Strip launched massive rocket barrages at southern and central Israel on Saturday morning, combined with an assault by dozens of gunmen who infiltrated the border town of Sderot, clashing with Israel Defense Force troops.
At least one person was killed and 15 wounded in the strikes, and casualties were reported from Sderot.
The unprecedented surprise attack by terrorists in the Gaza Strip started a few minutes before 7 a.m. with hundreds of rockets fired at Israel. It came a day after Israel and the Arab world marked the 50th anniversary of the surprise attack by Egypt and Syria that launched the Yom Kippur War.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant rushed to Tel Aviv to consult with security chiefs. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was also to take part. The IDF said it was moving to a “state of war readiness” and Gallant authorised a widespread call-up of reserves.
Gallant also declared an emergency situation within a range of 80 kilometres from the Gaza Strip.
The “special situation” allows the military’s Home Front Command to restrict gatherings and close off areas. The area includes the major cities Tel Aviv and Beersheba.
In a statement, the IDF says Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi was holding an assessment and approving plans of action.
“Hamas… which is behind this attack, will bear the results and responsibility for the events,” the IDF said.
“Hamas carried out a combined operation that included firing rockets and a terrorist infiltration into the territory of the State of Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The IDF will protect the residents of the State of Israel.”
Two hours after the first rockets, the IDF began launching strikes on Gaza. The Red Alert warning sirens were activated in Tel Aviv, some 70 kilometres from the Gaza Strip, as well as Sde Boker, Arad and Dimona in the south, also more than 70 kilometres away. Later rockets were fired toward Jerusalem.
Explosions were heard by residents across these areas and direct hits on buildings were reported in Ashkelon, the Gederot region and Tel Aviv.
The IDF confirmed that Palestinian terrorists from the Gaza Strip infiltrated into Israel, but did not provide further information.
Footage has shown armed Palestinians driving trucks and opening fire in Sderot. Another clip purported to show a hand glider near the Gaza border.
A number of casualties have been reported. It is unclear how many terrorists infiltrated into the country.
The clashes are ongoing.
Unverified footage from the Gaza Strip purported to show Hamas terrorists with the body of an IDF soldier taken from Israel during the attack.
The graphic videos show the body being taken out of a truck, as a crowd swarms around it.
The Magen David Adom ambulance service said one person has been killed and another 15 were wounded in the rocket attacks on southern and central Israel.
A woman in her 60s was killed in a direct rocket impact in the Gederot area.
Another two people were seriously wounded, six moderately and seven with minor injuries, MDA said.
The Israeli military called on residents of southern and central Israel to remain close to bomb shelters amid the massive barrage.
“The public in the south and centre of the country are urged to stay near protected areas and follow the instructions of the Home Front Command,” the IDF said in an announcement early Saturday.
In one video from Ashkelon circulating on social media, large black plumes of smoke from fires can be seen from a suspected impact site.
Mohammad Deif, the Hamas military commander, issued a statement calling the morning’s attacks and infiltration “the day of the great revolution,” Army Radio reported, quoting Hamas TV in Gaza.
He urged Israeli Arabs to take up arms, and encouraged Arabs on Israel’s borders to join in the attack.
The attacks came after weeks of heightened tensions along Israel’s volatile border with Gaza, and deadly clashes in the West Bank.
The Hamas terror group seized control of the territory in 2007. Israel and Hamas have fought four wars since then. There have also been numerous rounds of smaller fighting between Israel and Hamas and other smaller terror groups based in Gaza.
Violence has surged across the West Bank over the past year and a half, with a rise in Palestinian shooting attacks against Israeli civilians and troops, near-nightly arrest raids by the military, and an uptick in revenge attacks by extremist Jewish settlers against Palestinians.
Palestinian attacks in Israel and the West Bank since the beginning of the year have left 27 civilians and three soldiers dead, and several others seriously wounded.
According to a tally by The Times of Israel, 194 West Bank and East Jerusalem Palestinians have been killed during the same period — the majority during clashes with security forces or while carrying out attacks, but some were uninvolved civilians and others were killed in unclear circumstances, including by armed Israeli settlers.
The tensions have also spread to Gaza, where Hamas-linked activists held violent demonstrations along the Israeli border in recent weeks. Those demonstrations were halted in late September after international mediation.
comments