Netanyahu says ‘We are in a war,’
Images sources: Getty
The Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel on Saturday, killing people on land, in the air, and at sea. Fighters breached Israel’s southern border and fired an immense barrage of rockets from the Gaza Strip.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared in a social media video that “We are at war.” As the country reacted to the unprecedented assault, he issued an order for strikes on Gaza and demanded an “extensive reserve mobilization.”
Israel’s Foreign Ministry reports that around 200 Israelis have died. Reportedly to the health ministry in Gaza, 1,610 people were hurt and 198 people died as a result of Israeli bombings.
Many hours after the operation started, fighting continued in southern Israel as Hamas fighters took numerous civilians and troops captive, according to the Israeli military.
Joe Biden, the president, criticized the “appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists” and stated that “Israel has a right to defend itself and its people.” He kept going, “My Administration’s support for Israel’s security is rock solid and unwavering.”
Hamas, a militant organization that controls Gaza, claimed ownership of the operation and gave it the name “Al-Aqsa Flood.”
The Hamas incursion marked a significant escalation in its battle with the Israeli government and was amazing in its daring and depth.
Mohammed Deif, unknown head of the organization’s military wing, said in a taped message that pushed Palestinians to take up arms, “Enough is enough.”
He declared, “This is the day of the greatest battle to end the last occupation on earth,” noting the launch of 5,000 rockets.
The terrorist organization claimed to have kidnapped numerous people, including senior Israeli officers.
The escalation of violence was wished by Western politicians.
Images sources: REUTERS
Biden stated that the United States “unequivocally condemns this appalling assault against Israel by Hamas terrorists from Gaza.” In a telephone conversation, he stated to have informed Netanyahu that “we stand ready to offer all appropriate means of support to the Government and people of Israel.”
The use of terror is never acceptable. Israel has the right to protect its citizens and the state. The United States issues a strong warning against any other anti-Israel party trying to gain an edge in this situation, Biden said in a statement.
European leaders criticized Hamas and declared their support for Israel, including German Chancellor Oskar Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Israel’s security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, declared a civil emergency, allowing police more authority to conduct searches and make arrests.
Police with assault guns fanned out across Israel’s Route 3, a highway 15 miles north of Gaza, checking cars for intruders trying to cross farther into the nation.
Apart from emergency vehicles, highways all around the nation were empty as security authorities set up checkpoints for passing traffic.
Many hours after the incursion started, the military said that fighting was still happening on in the country’s south and added that a certain amount of civilians and troops had been kidnapped.
As the city’s leaders issued an order to open bomb shelters, people of Tel Aviv raced to hospitals and doctors’ offices to donate blood for the injured.
Israel’s rescue agency reported that it had treated “hundreds” of patients with injuries ranging from minor to critical, and that helicopters, mobile ICUs, and bulletproof ambulances had all been sent.
The unrest comes after weeks of escalating tensions along Israel’s tense border with Gaza, as well as fierce fighting in the West Bank, which is under Israeli occupation. However, there have also been years of unsolved refers to regarding the treatment of Palestinians, which have long threatened to erupt.
The Israeli military confirmed that there had been an infiltration at a number of areas close to the southern Israeli Gaza barrier. Residents were told to stay inside.
To stop trafficking, Israel has erected a tall fence along the Gaza border. It is subterranean and has cameras, powerful sensors, and powerful listening equipment.
After Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007, Israel and Egypt enforced a blockade. Since then, four disputes have been place, the most recent being in 2021. Also there have been frequent clashes between Israel’s Hamas and other smaller armed organizations located in Gaza.
Images sources: REUTERS
The Gaza Strip’s economy has been completely destroyed by the ban, which restricts the flow of people and products into and out of the region. In contrast to the Palestinians, Israel claims that it is necessary to prevent violent groups from collecting weapons.
The shocking incidents of Saturday occur just as Israel is pursuing what would be a historic agreement to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia, which is being mediated by the United States.
Any new outbreak of violence is expected to put strain on that procedure and present Biden with a significant foreign policy dilemma as he runs for reelection in 2024.
The attack comes during a period of intense warfare in the West Bank, where, according to Tor Wennesland, U.N. Middle East Envoy, around 200 Palestinians have been murdered in Israeli military assaults this year. Although stone-throwing protestors and individuals who were not involved in the rioting have also been murdered, Israel claims that the operations are targeting militants.
Wennesland informed the U.N. Security Council in an August briefing that over 30 people have already been killed as a result of Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets in 2023.
The 1973 Arab-Israeli conflict was initiated by a concerted surprise attack from Israel’s Arab neighbors, which occurred 50 years and one day prior to the unexpected Palestinian offensive.
The incursion on Saturday will cause Israel’s renowned intelligence organization great shame, much like that incident did. It happens following months of internal unrest brought on by the government’s attempts to reform the judiciary, which sparked large-scale demonstrations and a rare division between political and military authorities.
Images sources: Getty
