Oct. 7 2023 08:08 – Updated Oct 7 2023 11:55
Hamas declares the start of a new military operation and has fired several thousand rockets at Israel. At least two people have been killed, and Israel responds with attacks against Gaza.
A number of places in southern Israel were hit by rocket attacks on Saturday morning. There were also explosions in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
In addition, the Israeli military states that armed men have entered southern Israel.
– A number of terrorists have infiltrated Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Residents of the area around the Gaza Strip have been asked to stay at home, said a statement on the X messaging service.
A short time later, the military announced that they had launched attacks against targets in the Gaza Strip.
– Hamas made a big mistake this morning and started a war against the state of Israel, says Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
– Israel will win, he declares.
Israel’s Prime Minister: – We are at war
In a televised statement on Saturday, Netanyahu said Israeli reservists will be called up for duty.
– We are at war, stated the Prime Minister.
This time it is not just an “operation”, he warned. He has ordered Israeli forces to remove armed Palestinians who have entered towns in southern Israel.
Netanyahu warned that Israel’s enemies will pay a price “of a kind they have never experienced before”.
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Benjamin Netanyahu during a cabinet meeting at the end of September. Read more Close
– Several hundred injured
An Israeli woman has been killed in a rocket attack, and a local Israeli official is said to have been killed in a shootout with armed men near the border with the Gaza Strip.
The Haaretz and Jerusalem Post newspapers report hundreds of wounded in Israel, but this has not been officially confirmed. The Magen David Adom ambulance service has stated that 15 are injured.
– Norway strongly condemns the attacks on Israeli civilians, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt (Ap) in a statement.
A number of other European countries also condemn Hamas’ operation. Huitfeldt calls for an immediate halt to the attacks.
– The situation is still very unclear, but so far we have no indications that Norwegian citizens have been physically harmed in the attacks, says the foreign minister.
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Police officers evacuate a woman and a child after a rocket attack on Ashkelon in southern Israel on Saturday. Read more Close
– The biggest battle
The attacks against Israel are described by several media as surprising. They come in the wake of a long period in which the situation on the occupied West Bank has become increasingly tense.
One of the top military leaders of Hamas, which has power in the Gaza Strip, claims that 5,000 rockets have been fired at Israel within 20 minutes. “Operation al-Aqsa storm” has reportedly been launched.
– This is the day of the biggest battle to end the world’s last occupation, Mohammad Deif said in a broadcast speech.
– We decided that enough is enough, said Deif, who called on all Palestinians to confront Israel.
At the same time, the armed Palestinian group Islamic Jihad warns that they are joining Hams’ attack against Israel.
Palestinian President: The Palestinians have the right to defend themselves
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says the Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves against what he calls terror perpetrated by settlers and occupation forces.
The statement comes after Hamas, which is in power in the Gaza Strip, has launched an extensive attack on Israel with rockets and ground forces.
Abbas heads the Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank.
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Firefighting after a rocket hit a parking lot in Ashkelon in southern Israel on Saturday. Read more Close
Extinguished fire
The Israeli woman who has been killed was near Gedera in southern Israel. A building here was hit by a rocket.
In another town, a man in his 20s suffered minor injuries from shrapnel.
Videos have been posted on social media that apparently show uniformed armed men and fighting in the Israeli border town of Sderot. Armed men have shot at random passers-by, according to Israeli media.
A source in the Israeli police tells the newspaper Haaretz that armed Palestinians have taken Israelis hostage in the town of Ofakim. The town of Netivot is also said to have been infiltrated by armed men.
Residents of the Gaza Strip say they could hear the sound of rockets heading towards Israel. Close to the border with Israel at the town of Khan Younis, there must have been fighting, and a significant number of armed fighters have been observed.
A spokesman for the Israeli defense says that Hamas has fired 2,500 rockets at Israel and that there are ongoing battles near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Increasing level of conflict
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Saturday morning that he would have a meeting with the security authorities in the country about the situation.
Israel is at war, and the enemy will pay a higher price than ever before, Netanyahu declares.
Hamas’s military operation comes in the wake of a long period of increasing levels of conflict and constant incidents of violence in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
There has also been tension in the Gaza Strip, and in recent weeks activists linked to Hamas have demonstrated at the border with Israel.
Ever since Hamas gained power in the Gaza Strip in 2007, Israel has maintained a blockade of the Palestinian territory. During this period, Israel and Hamas have fought four wars.
So far this year, at least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis and two foreigners have been killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On Friday, a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed when settlers attacked a town in the West Bank.
2023-10-07 09:14:41
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