2023-10-08 04:12:00
The Israeli Prime Minister promised Saturday evening to avenge “a black day” after the war launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip, assuring that the army would use “all its power” to “destroy the capabilities” of the Palestinian Islamist movement .
Describing Gaza as a “city of evil”, Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a televised address: “All these places where Hamas hides (…) we are going to turn them into ruins”. “I say to the people of Gaza: ‘get out of there now because we are going to act everywhere with all our force’.”
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Surprise attack in the early morning
The hostilities began before 6:30 a.m. (5:30 a.m. in Belgium) with a deluge of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, towards neighboring Israeli towns but also deeper into Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Taking advantage of the element of surprise, Hamas fighters aboard vehicles, boats and even motorized paragliders made use of the imposing security barrier erected by Israel around the Gaza Strip, attacking military positions or civilians in the street.
The bodies of Israeli civilians killed in the Hamas-led offensive in Sderot, Israel:
Mid-morning, Lt. Col. Richard Hecht, spokesman for the Israeli army, announced that Israeli troops are engaged in ground fighting on Israeli territory in “several locations around the Gaza Strip“against infiltrated combatants qualified as”terrorists“. “Right now we are fighting” he said, “there are injured, of course“.
In the evening, the Israeli army spokesperson confirmed that “Israeli soldiers and civilians” had been kidnapped during the infiltration of Hamas gunmen.
Deadly response
Israeli General Rassan Alian, head of COGAT, the Defense Ministry body overseeing civilian activities in the Palestinian Territories, claimed that Hamas had “opened the gates of hell“and that he”would pay the consequences“.
Residents of Gaza City count their deaths and see the damage after Israeli strikes:
“Hamas made a serious mistake this morning by starting a war against the State of Israel“, Israeli soldiers”are fighting the enemy at every location” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
Hamas holds Israeli hostages
The Israeli army confirmed on Saturday that Hamas had taken Israeli hostages to the Gaza Strip, Israeli media reported. According to IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari, fighting is still underway in 22 locations in southern Israel. Hostage-taking was reported in Be’eri and Ofakim. This spokesperson also indicated that Israeli soldiers had been killed in these fighting, but without specifying the number. Earlier in the day, Hamas said it had taken “enough Israelis to ensure that Israel releases all Palestinians currently held in prison“.
The International Committee of the Red Cross recalled on Saturday that humanitarian law prohibits taking hostages and threatening them. “Everyone detained must be treated in a humane and dignified manner, and this also applies to combat“insisted the organization’s regional director for the Middle East, Fabrizio Carboni.
Key moment
The Hamas offensive comes on the last day of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in Israel, when the country is in slow motion and many pilgrims and tourists have flocked during this school vacation period. It also takes place fifty years and one day after the start of the 1973 Arab-Israeli war which took Israel completely by surprise in the middle of Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) and led to the deaths of 2,600 Israelis and at least 9,500 deaths. dead and missing on the Arab side in three weeks of combat.
“Violence horrible”
The White House condemned “unequivocally unjustified attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israeli civilians“, et “we stand with the government and people of Israel“.
The EU and several European capitals have “strongly condemned” the attacks. “This horrific violence must stop immediately. Terrorism and violence solve nothing“, underlined the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, also condemned “the terrorist attacks currently hitting Israel“.
Russia called for “detention” and Turkey to avoid an escalation.
In May, Israel launched an offensive against Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, triggering a five-day war between the Israeli army, Islamic Jihad and other armed groups in the territory that cost the lives of 34 Palestinians. and an Israeli.
More than a thousand rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, most of them intercepted by the Israeli air defense system. Israel, for its part, had increased airstrikes on this territory.
Hamas remained aloof from the conflict.
Israel has imposed a strict blockade on the Gaza Strip since Hamas took control.
Fights that should last several days
The fighting is expected to last several days in Israel and the Gaza Strip, estimates a police spokesperson in the south of the Jewish state. The United Nations coordinator in the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, also expects “difficult” days to come, given the level of violence, significantly greater than in previous clashes.
A new report shows 40 deaths in Israel and around twenty on the Palestinian side.
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