Gaza militias have launched an unprecedented surprise attack against Israel, with heavy rocket fire and the entry of gunmen from the Gaza Strip. The alarms warning of the firing of projectiles sounded one after the other in the early hours of this Saturday, including in places where this only happens during major escalations of tension, such as Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. In just an hour, there were at least dozens, and the country is halfway through as the Sabbath day coincides with the end of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. Health authorities have reported one death and 15 injuries, two of them seriously.
“The terrorist organization Hamas launched a combined attack that included rocket fire and terrorist infiltrations from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. “The Israeli army will defend Israeli civilians and the terrorist organization Hamas will pay a heavy price for its actions,” the Israeli army said in a statement. The armed forces have declared readiness for war.
The Israeli army has reported that “several terrorists have entered Israeli territory from the Gaza Strip” and crossed the extremely protected border. Authorities have urged the general population to stay near emergency shelters and particularly urged residents of towns near the strip to stay in their homes.
The leader of Hamas’ armed wing, the Ezedín Al-Qasam Brigades, Mohammed Deif, has announced that this is the start of an operation motivated by the “attacks” on the Esplanade of Mosques in Jerusalem, a recent flashpoint of tension is the aggravation of the situation of Palestinian prisoners.
A woman in her 60s is the first fatality in the operation, unprecedented since Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in 2007 and which the leader of the Islamist movement’s armed wing has described as “bigger than the occupation.” [Israel] think”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a brief high-level meeting to analyze the situation and has traveled to the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, where its chief Yoav Gallant is already present.
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Pending Israel’s response, Gaza’s Ministry of Education has announced the cancellation of all school classes.
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