Hamas launched an unprecedented war against Israel. It began with a double attack, during which the movement’s fighters succeeded in infiltrating Israeli army camps in the vicinity of the Gaza Strip, then into settlements in the Gaza Strip, which they controlled for hours, during which they killed Israelis and kidnapped others to the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented scene, while Thousands of missiles struck various areas in Israel, which was on its official holiday on Saturday.
Muhammad Al-Deif (Abu Khaled), Commander-in-Chief of the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced the start of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, in response to the occupation’s crimes against the Palestinians and its repeated incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque.
The guest said in a recorded speech, “We announce the start of Operation (Al-Aqsa Flood) and announce that the first strike that targeted the enemy’s positions and fortifications exceeded 5,000 missiles and shells.”
He added, “The enemy desecrated Al-Aqsa Mosque, dared to visit the Prophet Muhammad’s place of worship, and attacked the stationed women, and we had previously warned him.”
Cars burning after air strikes launched from Gaza on Israel (AFP)
The guest continued, “The occupation committed hundreds of massacres against civilians, and today the anger of Al-Aqsa and the anger of our nation is exploding, and this is your day to make the enemy understand that his time has ended.”
He stressed, “Starting from today, security coordination will end, and everyone who has a gun should take it out, as the time has come.”
The guest stressed that the Al-Qassam leadership decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation, and “the time for it to revel without being held accountable has ended.”
The Hamas operation came at a time when Israel was saying that its forces were on the highest levels of alert for fear of Palestinian operations in the West Bank or an attack from the Gaza Strip, and it was even more prepared for the possibility of the outbreak of a multi-front war.
But the attack, which was initiated by hundreds of Hamas members on the border and appeared to have been planned not long ago, showed the extraordinary fragility of the Israeli army and security forces, to the extent that Israeli commentators described what was happening as a war of shame.
The Hebrew “Wala” website said, “The fact that the organization was able to surprise the best and most experienced intelligence in the world and mock the strongest security system in the Middle East, and that it was able to control the event for long hours, will not be erased from the minds of players in the region.”
Video clips broadcast by Al-Qassam showed its fighters controlling settlements on the Gaza Strip, killing other soldiers and families, controlling Israeli military vehicles and withdrawing them to the Gaza Strip.
Other “shocking” video clips of Israel that were spread on news websites also showed Israelis being brought alive by Hamas into the Gaza Strip.
Although Hamas rained thousands of rockets on Israel, which caused the death of an Israeli woman in the town of Kfar Aviv, south of the city of Ashdod, it was the images of Al-Qassam fighters controlling the streets of the settlements on the Gaza Strip that greatly confused and embarrassed Israel.
Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said, 5 hours after the start of the Hamas attack, that Al-Qassam fighters had penetrated the entire defense line around the Gaza Strip, and the army was trying to control what was happening.
The Israeli army confirmed that Hamas members infiltrated 10 areas via land, sea, and perhaps tunnels and through parachutes from the air.
A Kan radio correspondent said: “Hamas simply imposed its control and surprised the Shin Bet, the army and the security services, which saw the facilitations as the way to buy calm from Gaza.”
Some time after the attack, Kan Radio announced that Hamas gunmen stormed the Sderot police station.
Yedioth said that the picture is bleak, and that the security centers in Erez and Zikim are under the control of Hamas members.
Until midday on Saturday, Israel had not clearly announced what was happening.
Israeli Channel 12 said that the number of dead and injured could not be counted, and that the head of the Shaar Hanegev settlement council, Ofir Lipstein (around Sderot), was killed.
Then the Kan channel said that the number of deaths was not small in the settlements around the Gaza Strip, and that Hamas had captured 35 Israelis to the Gaza Strip.
In response, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant announced that Israel would repel the attack and that Hamas would pay a heavy price. Then the special forces “Al-Yamam”, “Shaldag” and “Dovdovan” were called to infiltration sites in the Gaza envelope.
The Israeli army called Operation “Iron Swords” in the face of Operation “Al-Aqsa Flood” and began bombing sites in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of a confrontation that appears to be long.
Occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is supposed to meet with the Israeli cabinet at one o’clock this afternoon, after a security assessment session.
Netanyahu’s office said that another meeting would bring together Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid. Netanyahu said in brief statements that Hamas will pay a price it does not expect.
He addressed the Israelis by saying that they are in a state of war, not a confrontation or an operation, and asked the citizens of Israel to obey the orders of the army and security forces. Israel fears that the sudden and unfamiliar war on the Gaza side may develop into a multi-front confrontation.
Senior security officials in Israel said that “Hezbollah may join this war.”
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2023-10-08 10:23:50
