on a kibbutz near the border with the Gaza Strip, the morning brought terror. “I’m pregnant and I have a baby with me. They’re shooting at our house, at the windows. And they tried to force the door. I don’t understand why the army isn’t here,” one witness complained. through the daily Haaretz. This was one of many reports about the massive attack launched on Israel yesterday morning rockets fired from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory, while hundreds (sources cited by Haaretz they speak of between 200 and 300) militants of the extremist group that has ruled that area since 2007. They entered Israel by land, sea and air, abducting and abducting civilians and soldiers, and shooting anyone who passed by.
Israel responded with strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza, but the fate of the hostages now appears to be the biggest unknown, in an attack that exposed unusual security shortcomings in Israel.
“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared shortly after the attack began, guaranteeing that “the enemy will pay an unprecedented price.”
In the late afternoon, as political leaders and the Israeli armed forces discussed what course to take in terms of retaliation, the army confirmed that “soldiers and civilians have been kidnapped” in Gaza, confirming the veracity of the images released released by the Palestinians. group. Military spokesman Daniel Hagari declined to provide figures but denounced a “war crime committed by Hamas”.
Hamas said it wanted to use the hostages as a bargaining chip to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. “The number of hostages we have will free all Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons,” said Saleh al-Arourim, a senior Hamas official, quoted by international bodies.
In a statement, the Palestinian group justified the operation with the need to respond to the “atrocities that Palestinians have faced for decades” and attacks on Islamic holy sites such as the Al-Aqsa Mosque.
About twelve hours after the start of the surprise attack on its territory, the Israeli army was still fighting in 22 locations in the south of the country, with some families still held hostage by Palestinian militants.
The attack started at 6:30 am (two hours less in Lisbon) with the shooting of rockets from the Gaza Strip they even reached Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, avoiding the Iron Dome, Israel’s anti-aircraft defense system, and destroying buildings. At the same time, Hamas militants entered Israel using cars, boats or motorized paragliders, surpassing the security barrier the Hebrew state had built around Gaza and attacking the nearest locations and military posts. Bodies could be seen in the streets of Sderot, a town right next to the border.
The numbers, while not definitive, give an idea of the scale of the attack – and the Israeli counterattack. On the Israeli side, the official figure was more than 250 dead and 1,500 injured, while on the Palestinian side there were reports of 230 dead and more than 1,100 injured.
The international community quickly condemned the attack on Israel, starting with the United States, a strong ally of the Hebrew state, which expressed solidarity with “the government and people of Israel” and supported their “right to defend themselves.” The European Union also denounced a “senseless attack” through the voice of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, including India, which showed solidarity with Israel, or United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, who expressed concern for civilians and a possible escalation of a conflict that has been going on for more than seventy years. But there were also people who applauded the operation of the Palestinian group, such as sponsor Iran or the Lebanese Shia group Hezbollah.
Precisely out of fear that Hezbollah militants will join Hamas in attacks from the northern border, the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon has strengthened its presence on the ground.
In an analysis of the English edition, the newspaper Yediot Ahronoth stressed how “this morning’s nightmare will be difficult to forget and how the trauma will haunt the Israelites for a long time to come.” And he blamed Netanyahu’s government: “the political echelon failed, that’s clear.” But it also does not spare the military and secret services, insisting that the images of armed Hamas militants strolling through Israeli locations and returning to Gaza with hostages are “a moral blow” and a “disaster for the narrative that Israelis are have told. for years.”
At the HaaretzAnalyst Amos Harel, a specialist in defense affairs, also emphasizes “a large-scale Israeli failure.” Although the BBC assured that “we had no idea this would happen”, this was the response it received from all those responsible for defense and intelligence Israelis with whom he had contact. But for now, as they try to figure out what went wrong with their information systems, the Israelis have other priorities: getting the hostages back, with a military operation or through negotiations, neutralizing Hamas’s ability to launch rocket attacks to feed. rockets and ensuring that Hezbollah does not join the conflict.
Source: DN
