Israel declares war after Hamas attack; understand
Fighters from the armed Islamist extremist group Hamas managed to attack 22 locations in Israel this Saturday (7). The attack included land and air actions, prompting authorities to declare a state of war.
There are reports of attacks taking place about 25 kilometers from the GazaIsrael border (See chronology of the start of the war below).
Some of the fighters had already entered Israeli territory.
In some of these places, fighters remained on the streets for hours. The group used motorcycles and paragliders and fired on civilians and soldiers, while the Israeli military was slow to respond.
There were some clashes throughout the night, according to the Associated Press. Palestinians took hostages in at least two cities.
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There were airstrikes that reached Tel Aviv Hamas said it fired more than 150 rockets at that city.
The exact location of many attacks is not known, but at least the following cities are known to have been hit:
- Rehovot,
- Gedera,
- Ashkelon and
- Tel Aviv.
1 of 7 Hamas said 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip Photo: Portal/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa Hamas said 5,000 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip Photo: Portal/Ibraheem Abu Mustafa
Palestinian fighters then began crossing the border between the Gaza Strip and Israeli territory.
According to Israeli officials, it began around 7:40 a.m.
2 of 7 Palestinians react as an Israeli military vehicle catches fire after being struck by Palestinian gunmen who had infiltrated areas in southern Israel on the Israeli side of Israel Photo: Portal Palestinians react as an Israeli military vehicle catches fire after being struck by Palestinian gunmen infiltrated the areas in southern Israel, on the Israeli side of Israel Photo: Portal
Militants attacked the following Israeli cities:
- Sderot.
- Beeri.
- Rhyme.
- Ofakim.
- Stomach.
In the city of Sderot, images were captured of dead civilians in cars and at bus stops.
That’s what they were Israelis were killed in at least two kibbutz.
3 of 7 Israel declares war after Hamas attack Photo: Reproduction/ GloboNews Israel declares war after Hamas attack Photo: Reproduction/ GloboNews
Beginning of Israeli retaliation
Israel then began bombing Palestinian territory. More than 200 people were killed in these attacks.
According to the Israeli Defense Forces, the targets were locations linked to Hamas.
4 of 7 Map shows conflict in Israel Photo: Arte/g1 Map shows conflict in Israel Photo: Arte/g1 5 of 7 Man runs after an explosion caused by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Israel on October 7, 2023 Photo: Portal/Amir Cohen Man runs after an explosion caused by a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip in Israel October 7, 2023 Photo: Portal/Amir Cohen 6 of 7 Building catches fire after it explodes in Tel Aviv, Israel, was hit by a missile, on October 7, 2023 Photo: Portal/Itai Ron Building catches fire after being hit by a missile in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 7, 2023 Photo: Portal/Itai Ron 7 of 7 People watch destruction in the Gaza Strip after Israeli bombings in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP People watch destruction in the Gaza Strip after Israeli bombings in response to a Hamas attack on October 7, 2023 Photo: Mohammed Abed/AFP