An Israeli military official said Sunday that “hundreds of terrorists” have been killed and dozens captured since Saturday as part of fighting with Hamas militants in Gaza and southern Israel.
Vice Admiral Daniel Hagari spoke to journalists today, more than 24 hours after the Palestinian militant group launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, killing hundreds of people and kidnapping others, while launching thousands of rockets from Gaza.
Israel is fighting militants in the south of the country and carrying out airstrikes in Gaza that have destroyed buildings.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, dubbed Operation ‘Storm al-Aqsa’, with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
More than 300 Israeli civilians were killed in the Hamas offensive, while around 1,600 were injured, Israeli media reported this Sunday, citing medical sources. On the Palestinian side, at least 232 people were killed and 1,700 injured
Army launches attack on home of Hamas intelligence chief
The Israeli army launched an airstrike on the Gaza Strip residence of the head of Hamas’s secret services, as part of retaliatory bombings, following Saturday’s attack by the Islamist movement.
Israeli airstrikes continue to bomb Gaza City. #GazaUnderAttack #IraniansStandWithIsrael #GauriKhan #Israel #Afghanistan Earthquake #WeStandWithGaza #NushrrattBharuccha pic.twitter.com/Nwjhra9rNY
– Ayesha Jatt (@Ayeshajatt07) October 8, 2023
In recent hours, Israel has targeted senior officials of the organization, which has carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel.
“The fighter jets attacked a military infrastructure located in the residence of the head of the intelligence department of the terrorist organization Hamas,” the Israeli military said on social media, without adding further information.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) also confirmed nighttime attacks on ten operational infrastructures, two bank branches and a weapons warehouse.
Al Amin Mosque destroyed/bombed by Isreal aircraft.#Hamas #Israel #Palestine #Gaza #طوفان_الأقصى
-Arslan Baloch (@balochi5252) October 8, 2023
A few hours earlier, the IDF had explained that “after evaluating the situation, it was decided to issue an order to close a military zone in the region of the Gaza Division,” adding that “entering the zone at is strictly prohibited” and the population had asked to be careful and not enter places.
According to official sources, more than 600 people have been killed in the conflict
At least 300 people died in Israel after the attack by the Islamist movement Hamas, while at least 313 Palestinian people were killed as part of the Jewish state’s powerful air offensive over Gaza.
According to the Palestinian Health Ministry’s latest count, 313 Gazans died during the offensive, including 20 children, while another 1,990 Palestinians were injured in the enclave.
On the Israeli side, about 300 deaths and 1,864 injuries have been confirmed as of this morning, of whom 19 are in critical condition, 326 in serious condition and the rest in moderate or mild condition, the Israeli Health Ministry reported.
For its part, the Israeli army revealed that at least 26 soldiers were among the fatalities, revealing their identities and stressing that this number will increase throughout the day as the families of other soldiers are notified.
Some bodies of Israeli soldiers and civilians were kidnapped by militants in Gaza.
On the Palestinian side, the The ministry accused the Israel Defense Forces of deliberately attacking medical staff and hospitals, killing three health workers, injuring three others and destroying five ambulances.
#BREAK: A while ago in Sderot, south #Israel where at least 6 rockets hit buildings directly. 1 person is in critical condition.
We pray for the people of Israel.#IsraelUnderAttack#StandWithIsrael pic.twitter.com/wPKwDyGPiC– StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) October 8, 2023
Palestinian sources said at least five buildings in Gaza have been destroyed by Israeli bombardments and hospitals are in a state of emergency due to the situation.
Thousands of civilians from towns in the northern Gaza Strip, such as Beit Hanoun, Jabalia or Beit Lahia, were evacuated and fled to Gaza City to be housed in schools run by the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees as a result of the heavy clashes. .
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that the Israeli army will use “all its might” to “destroy the capabilities” of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and called on the population to leave the Gaza Strip.
In a televised message to the country, Netanyahu, after spending the day in meetings with security officials, vowed to “reduce to rubble” all Hamas hideouts in the Palestinian enclave of two million people and admitted that the war “will take time ”.
The Israeli Prime Minister also threatened dire consequences if the Israeli hostages held by Hamas were brutalized “in a heartbeat.”
“We will kill them and avenge this dark day,” he said.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, dubbed Operation ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’, with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response to the surprise attack, Israel bombed several Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip from the air, in an operation it dubbed “Iron Swords”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is “at war” with Hamas.
The army says it attacked southern Lebanon in response to gunfire
Israeli artillery struck southern Lebanon on Sunday in response to fire from that area, the Israeli army said.
“Israeli artillery is attacking the area of Lebanon from where a shot was fired,” the army said in a statement published at 7:30 a.m. local time (5:30 a.m. in Lisbon).
Israeli airstrikes continue to bomb Gaza City. #GazaUnderAttack #IraniansStandWithIsrael #GauriKhan #Israel #Afghanistan Earthquake #WeStandWithGaza #NushrrattBharuccha pic.twitter.com/Nwjhra9rNY
– Ayesha Jatt (@Ayeshajatt07) October 8, 2023
Hamas and other Palestinian movements involved in the armed struggle against Israel are based in southern Lebanon.
The Islamist group Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israeli territory on Saturday, dubbed Operation ‘Al-Aqsa Storm’, with the launch of thousands of rockets and the incursion of armed militiamen by land, sea and air.
In response to the surprise attack Israel bombed several Hamas facilities in the Gaza Strip from the air, in an operation it dubbed “Iron Swords”.
The Arab League is planning an emergency meeting this week
King Mohamed VI of Morocco, the country that holds the presidency of the Arab League Council, called this Sunday an “urgent” meeting of the organization for this week, following the attack launched against Israel on Saturday by the Islamist group Hamas.
The monarch convened a meeting of Arab foreign ministers to “cooperate and coordinate following the deterioration of the situation in Gaza and the provocation of military actions against civilians, and to find ways to stop this serious escalation,” he said. a statement from the Moroccan ministry. of Foreign Affairs.
The same source adds that “intense discussions” are currently underway to hold the meeting this week at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo.
Source: DN
