Hamas militants invade Israel and launch an unprecedented attack on captives.
After the Palestinian Authority’s Hamas started an unprecedented military offensive against Israel, entering Israeli residential areas from the sea, land, and air under the cover of thousands of missiles, Israel announced a “state of readiness” for war.
Numerous Palestinian fighters stormed Israeli positions in the area on Saturday morning, shocking the Israeli security system.
According to Israeli radio, 35 Israelis have been kidnapped by Hamas fighters.
Mohammed Deif, the head of Hamas’ military branch, declared the start of “Operation Al Aqsa Storm.”
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In the taped message, he proclaimed, “Today the people are regaining their revolution,” and he urged Palestinians from northern Israel to east Jerusalem to join the struggle to “expel the occupiers and demolish the walls.”
He asserted that Hamas had launched more than 5,000 missiles into Israel, saying, “We must set the earth on fire under the feet of the occupiers.”
The incident came after a Palestinian was killed following clashes with illegal Israeli settlers in Huwara, a community in the occupied West Bank, and nine other people were hospitalised as a result of settlers’ repeated violence after his funeral.
Beginning at 6:00 am [03:00 GMT], rockets from the besieged Palestinian enclave were fired from several areas. The rocket barrage lasted for over 30 minutes.
The Israeli army warned of sirens across the country’s south, while the police urged the public to stay near bomb shelters. Explosions could be heard in cities around Tel Aviv and outside occupied Jerusalem.
Israel has imposed a crippling blockade on Gaza since 2007. Palestinian fighters and Israeli military have fought several devastating wars since.
The blockade, which restricts the movement of people and goods in and out of Gaza, has devastated the territory’s economy. Palestinians say the closure amounts to collective punishment.
