Escalation in the Middle East – Israel announced that it was cutting off the electricity supply to the Gaza Strip, bombed the residence of the head of Hamas and confirmed that the group had taken Israeli civilians and soldiers hostage, reports BNT.
Since the start of the conflict, at least 200 people have died and over 1,000 have been injured.
Tonight, the capital Tel Aviv became a target of the group’s military wing. There are still Hamas fighters who entered Israeli territory during the day. Israel responded swiftly by shelling Hamas-controlled Gaza. Over 200 Palestinians were killed.
The Islamist movement said that the abductees were in secure places and in tunnels. Hamas fighters attacked Tel Aviv with rockets, an air alert sounded in the city and in central Israel. They threatened that their Operation Al-Aqsa Storm would cover both Jerusalem and the West Bank. During the day, Hamas attacked Israeli territory by land, air and water, and Israel responded by shelling Gaza.
In a conversation with Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated the need for a prolonged military operation in the sector under the control of Hamas.
“Citizens of Israel, this is a war, not an operation, not a battle, but a war. This morning, Hamas launched a surprise deadly attack against the state and citizens of Israel. The security forces were given several orders: first, to cleanse the society of embedded terrorists. The mobilization of army reservists has also been ordered to respond to the enemy with a force he has never known. Because our enemy will pay an unprecedented price,” Netanyahu addressed his compatriots earlier today.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is a political rival of Hamas, called an emergency meeting. Abbas defended the right of Palestinians to defend themselves against the “terror of settlers and occupiers”.
The European Union, NATO and the United States condemned the sharp escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Support for Hamas came from Iran. The Tehran-backed Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah also welcomed the Palestinian strikes. An investigation is underway into why Israeli intelligence failed to detect Hamas’ plans.
2023-10-07 19:59:54
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