A new war between Hamas and Israel erupted in the early morning when thousands of rockets were fired into the southern part of the country. Israel’s Iron Dome was able to neutralize most of the projectiles, but terrorist operatives were able to infiltrate Israeli territory. There are reports of killings and kidnappings; some images show a dead woman being paraded around and desecrated.
Israel is counterattacking, with hundreds of thousands of reservists being called up as the nation braces for a multi-front war. The level of sophistication regarding Hamas’ attack has captured the eye of national security experts who noted that Iran’s fingerprints being all over the equipment and training wouldn’t be a shocking development. Also, there are reports that Hamas terrorists paraglided into Israel. The death toll currently stands at 200 (via Fox News):
Israel striking Gaza now. Updates to follow.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023
Warning: Disturbing photos
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023
What I saw in southern Israel today.
1. Paramedics declare an Israeli soldier dead after trying to revive him.
2. Plumes of smoke rise from the horizon after direct rocket hits.
3. The body of a Palestinian militant is covered in foil.
4. Israeli… pic.twitter.com/Axvf0MryYp
TONIGHT: Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are being called up. Israel is bracing for the possibility of a multi-front conflict.
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023
Israeli officials say that the death toll from Hamas’ Saturday attacks has risen to at least 200 people.
Israel declared war against Hamas after it was ambushed in a surprise mission during a major Jewish holiday, Simchat Torah. Israel responded by launching airstrikes in Gaza.
At least 1,100 people have been wounded, according to Israeli officials. Hamas soldiers also took civilians and soldiers captive in Gaza, but the exact number of hostages is unknown.
The Palestinian Health Ministry estimated that at least 198 people were killed in the Gaza Strip and that Israeli strikes wounded over 1,610 people.
The sophistication of Hamas’ attacks shocked Israel and the world. The Israeli military reports that Hamas has fired at least 3,500 rockets so far.
The rockets have also targeted central Israel – at least two people were injured by rocket attacks in Tel Aviv and a nearby town.
Huge barrages of rockets coming off the Gaza Strip pic.twitter.com/DCGfD38mPM
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023
More rocket fire into southern Israel pic.twitter.com/jgguEXiOAh
— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 7, 2023
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned civilians in Gaza to leave as Israel plans on turning all Hamas hiding spots into rubble:
BREAKING: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Palestinian civilians in Gaza to “leave now” because the Israeli military is going to “turn all Hamas hiding places into rubble”
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 7, 2023
Here's more on the assault this morning that caught Israel by surprise:
In an assault of startling breadth, Hamas gunmen rolled into as many as 22 locations outside the Gaza Strip, including towns and other communities as far as 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the Gaza border. In some places, they roamed for hours, gunning down civilians and soldiers as Israel’s military scrambled to muster a response. Gunbattles continued well after nightfall, and militants held hostages in standoffs in two towns and occupied a police station in a third.
[...]
In the southern Gaza city of Rafah, an Israeli airstrike late Saturday flattened a home, killing 12 members of the Abu Qouto family, neighbors said. Ten members of a family in the northern town of Jebalya were killed in another airstrike, relatives said. It was not known why the homes were targeted.
The strength, sophistication and timing of the Saturday morning attack shocked Israelis. Hamas fighters used explosives to break through the border fence enclosing Gaza, then crossed with motorcycles, pickup trucks, paragliders and speed boats on the coast without resistance from the military.
In some towns, a trail of civilians’ bodies lay where they had encountered the advancing gunmen. On the road outside the town of Sderot, a bloodied woman slumped dead in the seat of her car. At least nine people gunned down at a bus shelter in the town were laid out on stretchers on the street, their bags still on the curb nearby. One woman, screaming, embraced the body of a family member sprawled under a sheet next to a toppled motorcycle; as she was led away, she picked up the dead person’s helmet from the ground nearby.
In amateur video, hundreds of terrified young people who had been dancing at a rave fled for their lives after Hamas militants entered the area and began firing at them. Israeli media said dozens of people were killed.
We'll keep you updated.
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