A.G. Gancarski
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, killing dozens and stunning the country. Israel said it is now at war with Hamas and launched airstrikes in Gaza, vowing to inflict an “unprecedented price.”
Hours after the incursion began, Israeli troops were still fighting Hamas gunmen in 22 locations near the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said — a startling sign of the breadth of the assault.
Israel’s national rescue service said at least 100 people were killed and hundreds wounded, making it the deadliest attack in Israel in years. An unknown number of Israeli soldiers and civilians were also taken captive and brought into Gaza, an enormously sensitive issue for Israel. Hagari said militants were also holding hostages in standoffs in two towns, Beeri and Ofakim, which is 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border.
At least 198 people in the Gaza Strip have been killed and at least 1,610 wounded in Israel’s retaliation, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. After nightfall, airstrikes intensified, flattening several residential buildings in giant explosions, including a 14-story tower that held dozens of apartments as well as Hamas offices in central Gaza City. Israeli fired a warning just before, and the number of casualties was not immediately known.
The strength, sophistication and timing of the attack shocked Israelis. Hamas fighters used explosives to break through the border fence enclosing the long-blockaded Mediterranean territory, then crossed with motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders and speed boats on the coast.
Bodies of dead Israeli civilians and Hamas militants were seen on streets of Israeli towns. Associated Press photos showed an abducted elderly Israeli woman surrounded by gunmen being brought back into Gaza on a golf cart and another woman squeezed between two fighters on a motorcycle. Images on social media appeared to show fighters parading what seemed to be captured Israeli military vehicles through Gaza streets and a dead Israeli soldier being dragged and trampled by crowd of Palestinians.
The conflict threatened to spiral dramatically further. Previous conflicts between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas ruler brought widespread death and destruction in Gaza and days of rocket fire on Israeli towns. The mix is potentially more volatile now, with Israel’s far-right government stung by the security breach and with Palestinians in despair over a never-ending occupation.
“We are at war,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address, declaring a mass army mobilization. “Not an ‘operation,’ not a ‘round,’ but at war.”
12 comments
Qearl and QPeter
October 7, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Go stand on the I-10 overpass, Earl, with your degenerate signs of anti-Semitism.
Rick Whitaker
October 7, 2023 at 2:03 pm
what are you talking about? i didn’t see a inane comment from earl, did i miss it or did he get moderated? i’m not anti-semitic, but i am anti zionist.
Impeach Biden
October 7, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Let me guess, Joe Biden sitting on the beach in Delaware.
Rick Whitaker
October 7, 2023 at 1:59 pm
what the hell is that supposed to mean. hating biden will make you sick. the list of things you hate is long i’m sure.
Rick Whitaker
October 7, 2023 at 1:56 pm
the palestinians are defending themselves against a much larger enemy in their own occupied country. what’s wrong with that? the Israelis are arrogant to think you can steal land and oppress people for decades and they will just continue taking it. god’s chosen people my ass. zionist aggression is like being the school bully.
WhatNow
October 7, 2023 at 2:04 pm
You CLEARLY have no idea what the heck you’re talking about, talking and writing like an ignoramus.
Rick Whitaker
October 7, 2023 at 3:23 pm
but you do know what you’re talking about. is it the scripted maga cult talk, i’ve’ already heard enough of that fear and hate crap, or is it zionist propaganda, i heard a lot of that crap too. so you call people that disagree with you an ignoramus. how intelligent of you. bully.
My Take
October 7, 2023 at 2:25 pm
So did the vaunted Israeli intelligence fail, or did the far right intentiomally let it happen?
My Take
October 7, 2023 at 2:29 pm
The Palestiniàns easly could have made this bloody aggression totally OK.
They could hva called it “SHOCK and AWE.”
Rick Whitaker
October 7, 2023 at 3:25 pm
great comment
My Take
October 7, 2023 at 10:06 pm
If they just targeted Naziyahoo you would hear no complaint from me.
My Take
October 7, 2023 at 10:29 pm
I am baffled as to what Hàmas hopes to accomplish. What possiblè gain?
The massive retaliation is sò predictable.
Comments are closed.