TEL AVIV – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Saturday that Israel is in fact in a state of war, and not in the format of a military operation since the morning attack by militants from the Gaza Strip, reported Sputnik.
"Citizens of Israel!. We are at war. This is not an operation... but a war. This morning, Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel and its citizens. In the morning,
"I convened the heads of law enforcement agencies and instructed them to clear populated areas from terrorists who had infiltrated [Israel]. This operation is carried out during these hours. At the same time, I ordered a widespread mobilisation of the reserves. The enemy will pay a price it has never known," Netanyahu said in an address to the nation.
On Saturday morning, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said militants infiltrated Israel and fired more than 1,000 rockets from Gaza into its territory.
Following the incident, the IDF declared a "counterterrorist" operation against Hamas.
The military wing of the Hamas movement, the Al-Qassam Brigades, in turn, announced an operation against Israel.
At least 20 Israelis have been killed and over 540 others injured in the Gaza rockets attack, the Israeli media reported.
Medics reported casualties from the rocket attacks around the towns of Ashkelon, Gedera and Yavne.
A 70-year-old woman was critically injured in a direct hit on a building near Gedera, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Defence Minister Yoav Galant approved the mobilisation of reserve forces after announcing preparations to deal with the situation as a state of war.
Israel has declared a “state of readiness” for war after Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip fired an intense barrage of rockets early Saturday toward Israel, reports Israel Broadcasting Authority.
The rocket salvoes were fired from different locations in the enclave but Israel’s Iron Dome defence system intercepted many, according to an AA correspondent.
In Tel Aviv, several armed Palestinians have entered Israeli territory during the barrage of rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip, reported dpa, citing army sources.
"A number of Palestinians have infiltrated into Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip. Residents in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip have been asked to stay in their homes," the Israeli Defence Force wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
Eyewitnesses reported exchanges of fire in the streets.
It was unclear how the attackers from the Gaza Strip had been able to cross the strictly protected border. A video showing a hang-glider was circulating on social media. However, it could not initially be independently verified.
The massive attack from the Gaza Strip came as a surprise. The situation had recently escalated again, especially in the occupied West Bank. Since Thursday, four Palestinians have died in their own attacks or in confrontations with the army. – The Vibes, October 7, 2023
