Hamas continues to fire rockets into Israel 24 hours on from start of conflict which has left hundreds dead and seen militants kidnap grans, mothers and even BABIES – as PM Netanyahu admits it will be ‘a long and difficult war’
- Hamas is firing rockets into Israel as fighting is likely to intensify into the night
- READ MORE: Who are Hamas? Everything you need to know about the Palestinian terror movement that has launched war on Israel
Hamas is continuing to fire rockets into Israel 24 hours on from the beginning of the conflict which has already left hundreds dead and seen militants kidnap grandparents, mothers and even babies.
As Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation was embarking on a ‘long and difficult war’, the military was still engaged in fighting with Hamas in parts of southern Israel at 1:30am local time (11:30pm UK time).
Reports suggest fighting is expected to ‘intensify into the night’, as Netanyahu vowed to defeat the Hamas militant group, though warned the war will ‘take time’.
In the early hours of this morning, the Israeli PM wrote on X, formerly Twitter: ‘We are embarking on a long and difficult war. The war was forced upon us by a murderous attack by Hamas.
‘The first phase ends in these hours by destroying most of the enemy forces that have penetrated our territory. At the same time, we started the offensive formation and it will continue without reservation and without respite – until the goals are achieved.
‘We will restore security to the citizens of Israel and we will win.’
Footage posted in the early hours of this morning is said to show Hamas firing ‘a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Tel Aviv’.
Smoke and flames rise after Israeli forces airstrikes as clashes continue between Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups at various locations of Gaza this morning
Footage reportedly showing Hamas firing a ‘barrage of rockets from Gaza into Tel Aviv’
Israeli Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said his nation was embarking on a ‘long and difficult war’ as Hamas attacked
Militant Hamas have carried out an unprecedented, multifront attack on Israel, firing thousands of rockets as dozens of fighters infiltrated the heavily fortified border in several locations and catching the country off-guard on a major holiday.
READ MORE: Who are Hamas? Everything you need to know about the Palestinian terror movement that has launched war on Israel
The Israeli army said that the high number of civilian and military personnel taken hostage by terrorist group in Saturday’s surprise attack on Israeli towns near Gaza would shape the future of the war how Israel would retaliate, according to Reuters.
Israeli media, citing rescue services, said at least 250 people were killed and 1,500 wounded, making Saturday’s surprise early morning attack by Hamas the deadliest attack in Israel in decades. At least 232 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed and at least 1,700 wounded in Israeli strikes, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.
Hamas fighters took an unknown number of civilians and soldiers captive into Gaza, a deeply sensitive issue for Israel, in harrowing scenes posted on social media videos, AP reports.
Among those killed in Israel was Lt. Col. Jonathan Steinberg, a senior officer who commanded the military’s Nahal Brigade, a prominent infantry unit.
Hamas gunmen have taken dozens of hostages off the streets of Israel as the war takes a darker turn and the death toll reached 450 after less than one day.
Horrifying footage showed women being marched into vehicles, bloodied and bruised, often with their hands bound behind their backs. Earlier pictures showed Israeli pensioners taken into the Gaza Strip on golf carts and families forced into trucks.
Former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett claimed on CNN that Hamas were even kidnapping babies from Israeli families.
Dozens of Hamas fighters broke out of the Gaza Strip and into nearby Israeli towns, killing dozens and abducting others in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday.
Netanyahu said the Israeli military will use all of its strength to destroy Hamas’ capabilities. He also vowed to extract a heavy price if ‘even a single hair’ is harmed on the Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity.
Israel has maintained a blockade over Gaza since Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007. The bitter enemies have fought four wars since then.
The Israeli military was still engaged in fighting with Hamas in some parts of southern Israel as of 1:30am local time (11:30pm UK time) and the situation in the country is not under control, an Israeli army spokesperson said
A rocket is launched from the coastal Gaza strip towards Israel by militants of the Ezz Al-Din Al Qassam militia, the military wing of Hamas movement, in Gaza City, 7 October 2023
A tower block in Gaza City is hit by an Israeli airstrike after Palestinian militants struck Israel
An Israeli rescue service says the attack by Hamas in southern Israel has left at least 200 people dead.
Rescue Service Zaka says an additional 1,100 people were wounded in the attack Saturday that took Israel by surprise.
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday on Saturday. It was the deadliest attack against Israel in decades.
At least 198 people in the Gaza Strip were killed and at least 1,610 wounded amid Israel’s retaliation.
The Hamas militant group says it is holding ‘dozens’ of Israeli soldiers captive in the Gaza Strip. A spokesman for the group’s military wing said the soldiers – including some officers – were captured during a surprise infiltration into southern Israel on Saturday.
Abu Obedia says the captives were being held in ‘safe places’ and militant tunnels.
Smoke and flames billow after Israeli forces struck a high-rise tower in Gaza City, October 7
In just 12 hours almost 400 people are confirmed to have died, with a further 2,610 injured in both Israel and the Gaza Strip
Hamas militants fired thousands of rockets and sent dozens of fighters into Israeli towns near the Gaza Strip in an unprecedented surprise early morning attack during a major Jewish holiday Saturday.
Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza.
Separately, the U.N. Security Council scheduled a closed emergency meeting on the Hamas attacks at 3pm EDT on Sunday at the request of Malta and the United Arab Emirates, the Arab representative on the council.
An Israeli army spokesman says fighting is continuing in 22 locations in southern Israel some 12 hours after Hamas militants launched a surprise attack from the Gaza Strip.
Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari also said that Israel was striking targets in Gaza from the air and that ground operations were imminent.
Hagari confirmed ongoing hostage situations in the towns of Ofakim and Beeri. Earlier, both the Israeli military and Hamas confirmed that some Israelis had been captured and taken hostage.
The Israel-Palestine conflict: recent events in a decades-long dispute
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas launched its biggest assault on Israel in years early on Saturday, firing a barrage of rockets from Gaza and sending fighters across the border.
Israel said it was on a war footing and began its own strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza, with Israeli media reporting gun battles between bands of Palestinian fighters and security forces in southern Israel.
The following timeline, which begins with Israel’s 2005 withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, details the major flare-ups in the conflict between Israel and Palestinian groups in the crowded coastal enclave, which is home to 2.3 million people.
August 2005: Israeli forces unilaterally withdraw from Gaza 38 years after capturing it from Egypt in the Middle East war, abandoning settlements and leaving the enclave under the control of the Palestinian Authority.
Jan. 25, 2006: The Islamist group Hamas wins a majority of seats in a Palestinian legislative election. Israel and the U.S. cut off aid to Palestinians because Hamas refuses to renounce violence and recognise Israel.
June 25, 2006: Hamas militants capture Israeli army conscript Gilad Shalit in a cross-border raid from Gaza, prompting Israeli air strikes and incursions. Shalit is finally freed more than five years later in a prisoner exchange.
June 14, 2007: Hamas takes over Gaza in a brief civil war, ousting Fatah forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is based in the West Bank.
Dec. 27, 2008: Israel launches a 22-day military offensive in Gaza after Palestinians fire rockets at the southern Israeli town of Sderot. About 1,400 Palestinians and 13 Israelis are reported killed before a ceasefire is agreed.
Nov. 14, 2012: Israel kills Hamas’s military chief of staff, Ahmad Jabari. Eight days of Palestinian militant rocket fire and Israeli air strikes follow.
July-August 2014: The kidnap and killing of three Israeli teenagers by Hamas leads to a seven-week war in which more than 2,100 Palestinians are reported killed in Gaza and 73 Israelis are reported dead, 67 of them military.
March 2018: Palestinian protests begin at Gaza’s fenced border with Israel. Israeli troops open fire to keep protestors back. More than 170 Palestinians are reported killed in several months of protests, which also prompt fighting between Hamas and Israeli forces.
May 2021: After weeks of tension during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, hundreds of Palestinians are wounded in clashes with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa compound in Jerusalem, Islam’s third holiest site.
After demanding Israel withdraw security forces from the compound, Hamas unleashes a barrage of rockets from Gaza into Israel. Israel hits back with air strikes on Gaza. Fighting goes on for 11 days, killing at least 250 people in Gaza and 13 in Israel.
Aug 2022: At least 44 people, including 15 children, are killed in three days of violence that begin when Israeli air strikes hit a senior Islamic Jihad commander.
Israel says the strikes were a pre-emptive operation against an imminent attack by the Iranian-backed militant movement, targeting commanders and arms depots. In response, Islamic Jihad fires more than 1,000 rockets towards Israel. Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system prevents any serious damage or casualties.
Jan 2023: Islamic Jihad in Gaza fires two rockets towards Israel after Israeli troops raid a refugee camp and kill seven Palestinian gunmen and two civilians. The rockets set off alarms in Israeli communities near the border but cause no casualties. Israel responds with air strikes on Gaza.
Oct 2023: Hamas launches the biggest attack on Israel in years from the Gaza Strip, with a surprise assault combining gunmen crossing the border with a heavy barrage of rockets. Islamic Jihad says its fighters have joined the attack.
Israel’s military said it was on a war footing, adding it had carried out strikes targeting Hamas in Gaza and had called up reservists.
Source: Reuters
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