In a regional context marked by significant advancements in normalization between Israel and Arab countries, particularly with Saudi Arabia, the Hamas movement chose to launch a vast and unprecedented surprise attack against Israel. Approximately a hundred Palestinian fighters managed to infiltrate Israeli territory, occupy kibbutzim and military positions, and take around fifty Israelis, including about thirty soldiers, as hostages, resulting in nearly 300 deaths and 1500 injuries. Israel promptly responded with dozens of airstrikes in Gaza, causing no less than 232 Palestinian fatalities and over 1,700 injuries. Tel Aviv has been targeted by heavy bombing from Hamas, making at least 8 wounded and the collapse of several buildings. Following these developments, Prime minister Netanyahu called on opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid to form an emergency national unity government, but no agreement has been reached until now. According to the Hamas, fights are still ongoing on 25 locations in the Israeli territory, while the Israel army is heavily bombing the Gaza strip. Netanyahu has told Palestinians to leave Gaza and vowed to turn Hamas hideouts into ‘rubble’. Ten of thousands of military reservists have been called for emergency service. Latest figures say that Hamas fired between 3000 to 5000 rockets to Israel and stormed 20 towns.
On Saturday at dawn, the Hamas movement initiated a full-scale war against Israel, firing thousands of missiles and infiltrating Israeli territory. About a hundred heavily armed Hamas fighters successfully took control of residences in several kibbutzim located on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip for the first time.
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Approximately fifty Israelis were taken hostage, including 33 soldiers. The ensuing clashes resulted in about 300 Israeli fatalities and over 1500 injuries, according to Tel Aviv’s media. More than 200 civilians were killed during the Hamas attacks, according to the Israeli army.
Simultaneously, dozens of Israeli retaliatory airstrikes caused no less than 232 Palestinian fatalities and over 1,700 injuries in Gaza, as reported by the Palestinian Ministry of Health.
In the late afternoon, Israeli sources indicated that clashes were ongoing in nearly twenty positions inside Israeli territory on the Gaza periphery. Meanwhile, the Israeli Air Force continued its bombardment of Gaza. Following these developments, significant Israeli reinforcements were deployed along the border with Lebanon.
According to the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, “injustice towards the Palestinians is leading the conflict towards an explosion”
In the occupied West Bank, 6 Palestinians (including a child) were killed and nearly 126 injured in clashes with Israeli forces and settlers. Clashes between settlers and Palestinians are on the increase in the West Bank. Palestinians accuse Israeli settlers of attacking villages and fields owned by Palestinian communities.
In a gesture of solidarity with Hamas, the Fatah movement declared that Gaza and the West Bank are uniting to defend the Palestinian people. Furthermore, a general strike across the occupied West Bank was called for Sunday by all Palestinian factions. All ministries and commercial establishments will be closed to respect the call for closure.
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5,000 rockets
The situation abruptly deteriorated on Saturday at dawn when Hamas announced the launch of “Operation Typhoon of al-Aqsa” against Israel. The leader of Hamas’s armed wing had declared this operation by stating, “We have decided to put an end to all of the occupation’s crimes” (referring to Israel).
Mohammad Deif, the commander of the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, mentioned that “over 5,000 rockets” had been fired since Saturday morning in an audio recording broadcast by Al-Aqsa TV, the Hamas-affiliated television channel, while the Israeli army said that Hamas fired 3000 rockets from the Gaza strip and stormed 20 southern towns.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense reacted to this announcement by emphasizing that Hamas had initiated “a war against the State of Israel.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated, “We are at war,” in a video message warning that Hamas would pay “an unprecedented price” following the initiation of the Islamist movement’s surprise offensive.
Netanyahu declared later on Saturday morning, “We are at war, it’s not just an operation… The enemy will pay an unprecedented price. We are at war, and we will win”. He also told Palestinians to leave Gaza, vowing to turn Hamas hideouts into ‘rubble’.
Israel’s ambassador to France admitted on Saturday that his country was not “sufficiently prepared” for the attack launched by Hamas, pointing to a failure of the intelligence services. Several Ministers, during a cabinet session, accused the security and military leadership of a “miserable intelligence failure”. According to a Pentagon official, the attack revealed “major shortcomings in the Israeli security and military apparatus”.
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More than 50 Israeli hostages
On the ground, an Israeli military source reported early on Saturday morning the infiltration of “an undetermined number of terrorists” into Israeli territory “by land, sea, and air” while hundreds of missiles struck various areas of Israeli territory, including Jerusalem, where alarms sounded repeatedly.
The surprise element of this attack caught the residents of kibbutzim on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip off guard, explaining the high number of casualties among Israelis (around fifty by early Saturday) and the fifty or so hostages, including civilians and 33 soldiers. Hamas notably declared having captured the commander of the southern zone of the Israel army, which has denied the information. Faced with this disaster, Netanyahu threatened Hamas, saying that “Israel will hold accountable anyone who harms the prisoners”. He added that “Israel army will use all force to destroy Hamas”.
It was also reported that armored vehicles were seized by Hamas. Among the victims was the president of the regional council comprising Israeli localities bordering the northeastern part of the Gaza Strip, who was killed during exchanges of fire with assailants from Gaza.
In retaliation, the Israeli Air Force unleashed airstrikes against Palestinian positions in Gaza until evening, resulting in at least 200 deaths and over 1,500 injuries, according to a Palestinian medical source. In the early afternoon, the Israeli Security Cabinet held an emergency security meeting that lasted for several hours, while Israeli sources reported a large-scale cyberattack by Iran against Israeli infrastructure.
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Palestinian militants still control a vast area including communities and Israeli army outposts along the border with Gaza. In some areas, the militants are holding hostages inside their homes and other buildings, and violent exchanges of fire are taking place in front of them, according to Israeli media outlet Haaretz.
Declaration of the State of War
During the day, an Israeli spokesperson emphasized that Israel had declared a “state of war” nationwide. In fact, the pan-Arab channel al-Hadeth reported in the early evening that the Israeli government might hold a meeting shortly to declare a “total war against Gaza.”Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s office has extended the state of emergency decreed by the Home Front Command for southern Israel to the whole country, allowing it to cancel gatherings (including demonstrations). Ten of thousands of military reservists have been called for emergency service.
In the face of the escalation, hundreds of residents of the northeastern part of the Gaza Strip fled their homes as soon as Hamas launched its military offensive. Men, women, and children carrying blankets and supplies were seen leaving their homes, heading further into the Gaza Strip as hundreds of rocket launches continued from the territory towards Israel.
The Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that 150 tons of munitions had been dropped to create a buffer zone between Gaza and surrounding areas.
After calling for evacuations, the Israeli army bombed several residential towers in the Gaza Strip as well as two mosques. According to Médecins Sans Frontières, Israeli forces shelled Gaza’s Indonesian hospital and an ambulance in front of the Nasser hospital. The spokesman for the Al Qassem brigades threatened the city of Tel Aviv in the wake of the bombardment, saying it would “not stand on its feet” after the retaliation. Shortly after, 150 missiles were fired towards the city, in which three buildings collapsed and eight residents were wounded. The government meeting has been interrupted due to the attacks. Alarms were heard in central Israel.
Following these developments, PM Benjamin Netanyahu called on opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid to form an emergency national unity government. However, they failed to reach an agreement following a meeting.
In view of the security situation, Gaza’s Minister of Education announced the closure of schools.
Israel and Hamas have been exchanging missile fire for several hours now, while fighting continues unabated in the region bordering the Gaza Strip. It is estimated that hundreds of Hamas infiltrators are still present on Israeli soil, according to the Israeli army. However, the Israeli army has announced that it has regained control of several locations during the evening. The army reportedly destroyed a police station in which Palestinian fighters were trapped, in the southern town of Sdirot.
International calls for ceasefire
The Hamas attack has been strongly condemned in several Western capitals. The State department of the United States issued a release in which it states that it is “unequivocally condemns the appalling attacks by Hamas terrorists against Israel, including civilians and civilian communities”, adding that “the United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself.”. During a televised speech, President Biden said that US support for Israel was “rock solid and unwavering”.
The Italian government, in a statement, emphasized that Italy “supports Israel’s right to defend itself” against the “brutal attack taking place in Israel.” France, on its part, strongly condemned the ongoing terrorist attacks against Israel and its population, as stated by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. President Emmanuel Macron stated that he “strongly condemns the terrorist attacks currently targeting Israel.”
Ukraine affirmed its support for Israel’s “right to defend itself and its people” following the attacks by Hamas.
Spain expressed shock at the “blind violence” of the attacks launched by the Islamist movement from the Gaza Strip against Israel. Germany, the United Kingdom, and India expressed their solidarity with Israel, while Moscow called for “restraint” and an “immediate ceasefire.”
EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen denounced Hamas’s “senseless” attack on Israel in Bordeaux (south-west France) on Friday. “This violence is neither a political solution nor an act of bravery. It is pure terrorism. The European Union stands by Israel”, she added.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan urged Israelis and Palestinians on Saturday to “act reasonably” and avoid an escalation of violence following the Hamas attacks from the Gaza Strip.
The Brazilian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday that it would convene an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following “the most significant attack against Israel in decades”. Brazil, which assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council this month, condemned the attacks in a public statement and expressed its solidarity with the Israeli people. The UN chief called in particular to “avoid a widening of the conflagration” between Israel and Hamas.
On Saturday, Egypt called on Israelis and Palestinians to “show restraint”, after Hamas launched a military offensive from the Gaza Strip, followed by Israeli strikes on the Palestinian enclave.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister stressed the need to put an end to the “dangerous escalation”, warning of the repercussions it could have. He also condemned Israel’s continuing attacks and violations against the Palestinian people and their holy sites. US President Joe Biden exchanged views with the monarch, who traditionally plays the role of mediator between Israel and Arab countries.
Kuwait condemned the Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip, while the United Arab Emirates called for “restraint” on both sides. As for Saudi Arabia, it urged the European Union to “act quickly to calm the situation in Gaza and surrounding areas”.
Several airlines company announce the cancellation of flights to Tel Aviv, such as Luftansa and Transavia.
With AFP
