The leader of Hamas’ armed wing, Mohammed Deif, said on Saturday that the group launched a new military operation against Israel in the early morning hours.
In a rare public statement, Mohammed Deif said that 5,000 rockets were fired into Israel last night to begin ‘Operation Al-Aqsa Storm’.
“We have decided to say that enough is enough,” Deif noted, calling on all Palestinians to confront Israel.
Palestinian terrorists invaded a festival where hundreds of Israelis were camping for the Shemini Atzeret holiday.
The panic this has caused is evident from the disappearances of civilians targeted by heavily armed militants.
Pray for Israel. pic.twitter.com/l6zviWr2hy
– Jay Engelmayer (@jengelmayer) October 7, 2023
Deif’s message was recorded as the leader, who has survived multiple assassination attempts by Israel, does not appear in public.
However, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Saturday that Hamas was launching “a war against the State of Israel” after hundreds of rockets were fired at Israel.
“Hamas made a grave mistake this morning by launching a war against the State of Israel,” and Israeli soldiers are “fighting the enemy everywhere,” Gallant said in a statement quoted by AFP news agency.
See how mosques in Palestine incite war against Israel. After this, Hamas fired more than 5,000 rockets at it #Israel and 30-40 Terrorists stormed frm #Gaza to southern Israel. IDF declared a state of war
It’s getting big now
Stay strong Tel Aviv #Iron Dome #Hamas Mossad #Planecrash pic.twitter.com/P1egWyoDP4-Diganta Hazarika (@Diganta701) October 7, 2023
Hamas elements entered Israel by land, sea and air using paratroopers, Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht said.
Hecht refused to answer journalists’ repeated questions about whether the IDF had advance information that the attack would take place. And when asked if Isaac was at war, he was clear: “This is a state of readiness for war.”
The Israeli military said on Saturday that “an unknown number of terrorists” from the Gaza Strip had infiltrated Israeli territory and urged residents of the region to stay home.
“Residents of areas close to the Gaza Strip have been asked to stay in their homes,” he said.
The statements were made after several dozen rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip this morning at Israel, which has already declared a state of war, mobilizing soldiers and recalling those in reserve.
A woman in Israel has been killed after a shooting from the Gaza Strip, the Israeli aid organization Magen David Adom announced. In addition to the fatality, 15 other people in their 60s were injured in southern Israel, the organization noted. Two of the injured are in critical condition. However, CNN International says more than 100 people were injured after the attack.
A rocket fired from Gaza has hit a residential area in Israel. pic.twitter.com/mHODxDVCHu
-Joe Truzman (@JoeTruzman) October 7, 2023
Warning sirens sounded in several cities in Israel.
According to the American news agency Associated Press (AP), there was no immediate response from Israel.
The Israeli military routinely carries out airstrikes in response to rocket launches.
The launches came after weeks of tensions along Israel’s border with Gaza and heavy fighting in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Palestinian terrorists just started doing this #Israel will end it. pic.twitter.com/5xGSyE2Nxa
– Kashmiri Hindu (@BattaKashmiri) October 7, 2023
At least 247 Palestinians, 32 Israelis, a Ukrainian and an Italian have been killed in acts of violence linked to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the beginning of the year, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli and Palestinian sources.
These statistics include fighters and civilians, including minors, on the Palestinian side, and civilians, including minors and three members of the Arab minority, on the Israeli side.
The EU “unequivocally” condemns Hamas’ attacks.
The European Union has “unequivocally” condemned Hamas’ attacks and expressed its “solidarity with Israel,” the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, said on Saturday.
“We follow the news about Israel with fear and unequivocally condemn Hamas’ attacks. This horrific violence must stop immediately,” he said.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Josep Borrell emphasized that terrorism and violence solve nothing, expressing his solidarity with Israel in these difficult times.
Also this morning, Germany “vehemently condemned the terrorist attacks from Gaza against Israel” in a publication on X.
According to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, Israel has all its solidarity and “the right, guaranteed by international law, to defend itself against terrorism.”
In turn, France has also strongly condemned the terrorist attacks against Israel.
Source: DN
