Hundreds Killed, Unprecedented Hostage Crisis Unfolds as Hamas Launches Surprise Attack on Israel
Israel calls up reservists as its forces engage in gun battles at 22 different locations
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas launched a massive surprise offensive against Israel early Saturday morning, firing thousands of rockets from Gaza and infiltrating southern Israel with hundreds of fighters, resulting in at least 300 deaths and more than 1,500 injuries among Israelis.
The multifaceted assault from the Gaza Strip—by air, land, and sea—was met with Israeli airstrikes on the blockaded coastal enclave, marking the bloodiest escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since the Second Intifada.
The Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza reported that at least 232 people were killed and more than 1,600 were wounded in the Israeli airstrikes.
Hamas deployed a wide array of tactics, using vehicles, boats, and even motorized paragliders to breach Israel’s heavily guarded border and attack nearby towns and military posts.
The Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced it had fired an additional 150 rockets toward Tel Aviv on Saturday evening.
The group claimed in a post on Telegram that the additional rocket fire was in response to “the bombing of a residential tower in the center of Gaza City.”
We are at war. … The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the nation, declaring, “We are at war,” and added, “The enemy will pay an unprecedented price.”
The Israeli army stated on Saturday evening that its forces were engaged in live gun battles at 22 different locations, as part of an ongoing operation labeled “Swords of Iron,” and that reservists were being called up.
“There are still 22 locations where we are engaging with terrorists that came into Israel, from the sea, from the land and from the air,” said army spokesman Richard Hecht, adding that the Hamas attack included a “robust ground invasion.”
He also noted that “severe hostage situations” were unfolding in Beeri and Ofakim, two communities in the northern Negev Desert, east of Gaza.
Hamas claims to have captured dozens of Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, a claim that Israel’s military has acknowledged.
We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation [Israel]
Hamas named its attack “Operation Al-Aqsa Flood” and called on “resistance fighters in the West Bank,” as well as in “Arab and Islamic nations,” to join the fight.
“We decided to put an end to all the crimes of the occupation [Israel],” said its armed wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, claiming to have fired more than 5,000 rockets.
Following Hamas’s attack, Israel’s energy minister ordered the state-run electricity company to halt supply to the Gaza Strip.
“I have signed an order instructing the Electric Company to stop the electricity supply to Gaza,” Energy Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
The United States condemned the attacks by “Hamas terrorists” against Israel on Saturday and pledged to ensure that its key ally has the means to defend itself.
President Joe Biden described the situation as “horrific” and emphasized US support, warning other hostile parties against exploiting the situation. The president stressed that Israel has “a right to defend itself and its people.”
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed Washington’s “unwavering” commitment to Israel, pledging that the Department of Defense will “work to ensure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself and protect civilians” in the coming days.
Former President Donald Trump commented on Saturday, blaming President Biden for indirectly funding the attacks and asserting that Israel has the right to defend itself.
“These Hamas attacks are a disgrace and Israel has every right to defend itself with overwhelming force,” the former president said in a statement.
“Sadly, American taxpayer dollars helped fund these attacks, which many reports are saying came from the Biden Administration,” he added.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi warned of a “vicious cycle” of violence and called for caution to prevent further escalation.
Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi expressed concern about the “volatility” of the situation, specifically in regard to Israeli actions in the West Bank.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the attack as “terrorism in its most despicable form.”
UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland warned that the assault had brought the situation to “a dangerous precipice” and called for all sides to “pull back from the brink.”
The Lebanese group Hizbullah, which fought a war against Israel in 2006, hailed the “heroic operation.”
