Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip carried out an unprecedented infiltration on October 7 into southern Israel and fired thousands of rockets into the country as the ruling Hamas militant group announced the beginning of a new operation.
“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization.
The elusive leader of Hamas’ military wing, Mohammed Deif, announced the beginning of what he called “Operation Al-Aqsa Storm.” “Enough is enough,” he said in the recorded message, as he called on Palestinians to join the fight. He said Hamas had fired over 5,000 rockets into Israel.
Several hours after the invasion began, Hamas militants were still fighting gunbattles inside several Israeli communities in a surprising show of strength that shook the country. Israel’s national rescue service said at least 40 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years.
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OCTOBER 7, 2023 20:15
Brazil to call emergency meeting of UNSC over attack on Israel
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said on Saturday it would convene an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council following the biggest attack on Israel in years.
Brazil, which assumed the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council this month, condemned the attacks in a public statement and expressed solidarity with the people of Israel. It also reaffirmed a commitment to a “two-state solution,” with Palestine and Israel coexisting within mutually agreed and internationally recognized borders. – Reuters
OCTOBER 7, 2023 19:54
U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself: Blinken
The United States condemned attacked by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas on Israel, and supported Israel’s right to defend itself, said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday.
“There is never any justification for terrorism. We stand in solidarity with the government and people of Israel, and extend our condolences for the Israeli lives lost in these attacks,” Mr. Blinken said in a statement released by the State Department.
“We will remain in close contact with our Israeli partners. The United States supports Israel’s right to defend itself,” he said. – Reuters
OCTOBER 07, 2023 19:18
At least 198 killed in Gaza in Israeli retaliation for Hamas assault: Palestinian Health Ministry
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza says at least 198 people have been killed and at least 1,610 wounded in the territory in Israel’s retaliation after a wide-ranging Hamas assault into Israel.
The toll came as Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes in Gaza and has clashed with gunmen at the border fence around the coastal territory. – AP
OCTOBER 07, 2023 19:09
Why did Hamas launch a surprise attack on Israel? | Analysis
Just last week, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said Gaza, the tiny Palestinian enclave on the Mediterranean coast that has been under Israeli and Egyptian blockade for over 16 years, was in a state of “stable instability”. Yet, on Saturday morning, Israel witnessed the largest attack from the enclave — and perhaps the worst security crisis in 50 years — when dozens of Hamas militants, using motorcycles, pickup trucks, boats, paragliders and mid-range rockets, launched a highly coordinated attack, infiltrating Israeli cities, hitting military bases and killing and taking hostage soldiers and civilians.
The attacks, reminiscent of the 1973 Yom Kippur holiday attack by Egyptian and Syrian troops, took Israel by surprise. Israeli officials say at least 40 people were killed and hundreds of others injured. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose right-religious government’s key promise is Israel’s security, has declared war on Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that runs the Gaza strip.
OCTOBER 07, 2023 18:58
Egypt urges Palestinians, Israelis to ‘exercise restraint’
Egypt urged the Palestinians and Israel to “exercise restraint” after Hamas militants launched a deadly air, land and sea assault Saturday from Gaza against Israel which responded with air strikes.
Historically a key mediator in conflicts between the two sides, Egypt warned of the “dire danger of ongoing escalation”.
The Egyptian foreign ministry in a statement appealed to “both the Palestinian and Israeli sides to exercise the highest degrees of restraint”.
