The Israeli military says that Hamas fighters from Gaza have entered Israel’s southern communities and killed around 300 people.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has informed the citizens that they are entering a war that will be lengthy and tough.
Many armed people entered southern Israel, they killed soldiers and regular people, and they took a large number of hostages into Gaza, as said by the army.
On Sunday morning, the Israeli Air Force said it was attacking important buildings and systems in Gaza.
The Israeli army attacked southern Lebanon with big guns after mortars were shot from there towards Israeli positions in the disputed Mount Dov/Shebaa Farms area.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said they carried out the attack to support the Palestinian resistance.
Over 300 people have died due to Israeli airstrikes in Gaza since Palestinian militants entered Israel from Gaza on Saturday morning, as confirmed by Palestinian health officials.
People living in Gaza got messages from Israel telling them to go to the city or seek safety in shelters.
The leader of Israel said in a message that they were forced into war because Hamas attacked them. They said the initial stage of the war would be over soon, as they were getting rid of most of the militants on their land. Israel will make sure its citizens are safe and succeed in their goals, he said.
The Israeli government has decided to stop providing electricity, fuel, and goods to Gaza.
Israel’s worst fear – Palestinian militants with weapons wandering around in the southern part of the country – started early on Saturday, during the Jewish day of rest and celebration known as Simchat Torah.
Gunmen broke through the fence separating Gaza from Israel. They entered Israel using motorbikes, paragliders, and by sea. The IDF spokesperson said there were hundreds of these people, and over 3,000 rockets were shot at Israel in one day.
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said that they attacked many Israeli communities and IDF bases. They went from one house to another, searching inside.
They killed innocent Israeli people in their houses and then took more Israeli people to Gaza. I am referring to women, children, the elderly, and disabled individuals.
Disturbing videos showed Israeli people running scared from a desert festival, and women being forced into vehicles and taken away by kidnappers.
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Israeli people were calling and informing the news channels that they were staying inside their houses because they were very afraid and worried about their safety. Fifteen people living in the town of Netiv HaAsara were killed by Hamas fighters.
In the town of Sderot, a person named Shlomi saw a lot of people lying on the ground along the road.
Over time, the Israeli military started to regain control over many of the southern communities. According to Israeli media, the hostages who were kept in a dining room in Kibbutz Be’er were released after 18 hours. Soon after, more updates said that soldiers had rescued people who were being held captive in the town of Ofakim. The assailants who were keeping them hostage were also killed.
US President Joe Biden said that America strongly supports Israel, which is currently being targeted by a terrorist group. Biden described the support as very strong and unwavering.
Hamas’s military group stated that they captured many more Israelis than just a few dozen, including important military leaders.
By the end of Saturday, over 1,500 people got hurt in Gaza and another 1,500 in Israel, according to officials.
The army said that if Hamas continues to use a very high level of violence, they will respond in a way that has never been seen before.
Thousands of reserve soldiers have been called up and are now getting ready to start a military operation on the ground in Gaza.
On Saturday, Israel attacked and destroyed a tall building called the Palestine Tower in the middle of Gaza City. This building had radio stations owned by Hamas on its roof.
The Israeli air force attacked buildings used by important members of Hamas for doing terrorist acts. They informed the people in the buildings to leave before the attack happened.
There was fighting in different places in the West Bank on Saturday. Palestinian doctors said that six Palestinians were killed during clashes with Israeli forces.
Hamas military leader Mohammed Deif asked all Palestinians to help with the group’s mission.
“We have decided to stop these Israeli offenses with the help of God, so that the enemy realizes they can no longer cause chaos without facing consequences,” he said.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader who is not currently in his home country, said that Palestinian groups plan to make the fighting bigger in the West Bank and Jerusalem that is controlled by another country.
Ghazi Hamad, who speaks for Hamas, told the BBC that Iran supported the attack directly.
Mahmoud Abbas, the President of Palestine and a political opponent of Hamas, stated that the Palestinian people have the right to protect themselves from the violence caused by settlers and occupying forces.
Many countries strongly disapprove of the Hamas attacks.
The UN boss, António Guterres, said he was shocked by reports that innocent people were attacked and taken from their houses. The UK’s Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly, firmly denounced the terrible attacks by Hamas on Israeli civilians.
Saudi Arabia wants the fighting to stop right away. They have been warning about the dangers of the occupation and how the Palestinian people are being mistreated for a long time.